


Aliens Don't Sell Insurance

by zeerogue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bottom Keith (Voltron), Cowboy Keith (Voltron), M/M, Rating will go up later, Teacher Lance (Voltron), Texas Keith, near future AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2020-07-20 13:44:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 110,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19993183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeerogue/pseuds/zeerogue
Summary: After many grueling years of college and getting his teaching license in order, Lance is finally ready to pick up his life in Michigan and move down to Texas to be reunited with his best friend Hunk. However, the quiet life he expected moving into the middle of nowhere is disrupted by his neighbor's foster brother, a real life emo cowboy who believes in aliens.Well, Lance always did like the stars.





	1. “August, A Summer’s…”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, new story. A couple things.  
> 1\. I live in Texas so this should be accurate  
> 2\. I'm half mexican, so all stuff pertaining to that should be pretty accurate  
> 3\. Consider this near future au  
> 4\. I do address a few serious topics, but not too deeply since this story is character focused  
> So none of that will make sense until you actually start reading, just a heads up.  
> ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

**_Aliens Don’t Sell Insurance_ **

**** **By: ZeeRogue**

  
  
  


**1\. “August, A Summer’s…”**

Upon his initial arrival to Texas, Lance McClain had been disillusioned into expecting that the roads out of the airport would be clogged with scruffy faced men on horseback hooting and hollering about one rodeo or the next with their cows crossing the busy highways. So far, though, he had talked to only two airport workers that held only the slightest hint of southwest twang that greeted him with literal sunshine and the typical airport traffic headed the opposite direction of Lance’s Uber. The driver himself had taken one look at Lance and immediately switched his happy hello for a tone of bored Spanish as he asked for Lance’s directions. At least there were ranches and crops. So many crops. All the fields of whatever was growing out there got boring pretty quick and an itchy calmness crept up on Lance. It wasn’t as if Lance was a city boy. He did remember the fast paced beaches of Miami, but only as much as a five year old could before the outskirts of Detroit filled his life with making bad plans with his friends to sneak across the border to Canada every weekend in hopes of getting their hands on drugs. They never did, though, usually opting for shorter lived highs on rides in Cedar Point or fishing in Lake Erie. He remembered sea salt soaked evenings watching the ferries on Canada’s side dozing in Hunk’s Moms’ fishing boat during the last days of summer. It had been years since he had last seen his childhood friend.

Okay, maybe it had only been since last summer, but they use to be stuck to each other like flies to honey.

When Hunk Garrett had shared his single homemade cupcake with Lance in grade two, Lance had known they would be best friends for life. They were inseparable until Hunk got into the Garrison, a prestigious university in Altea, Texas, and Lance had been denied. He'd at least made the wait-list, which was unfair. He'd had college credits already under his belt and he was in the top ten percent of his small outskirt graduating class. Hunk had assured him that he had only gotten in because he was valedictorian. For a school that small in Michigan, the Garrison wouldn’t accept more than one student. Lance had worked himself ragged getting through the main teaching program at the local college near his hometown so he would have plenty of time to get all the correct credentials and certificates needed to move down to Texas with Hunk before his best friend graduated.

But, then Hunk decided to graduate early and instead of working at the second generation version of NASA that the Garrison was best known for, he decided to set up a cafe in the rural area outside of Altea and try his hand at his other favorite past time, cooking, with his girlfriend Shay. And Lance loved Shay, but that still didn’t mean Lance was going to give up his dream of bugging Hunk every Sunday for a home cooked meal and bumming on his couch Saturday nights for the rest of their life. So, with Hunk’s help, he had managed to land himself a job at Arus Elementary teaching ten year olds the wonders of science.

Lance was excited about that. He wasn’t as excited about the fields of...corn?...no, sugar cane, that he rolled by or the heat literally radiating off from the asphalt as the Uber continued on.

Arus was barely a town. It was a lot more dirt and sand than Altea had been as the Uber drove him through the city, past the Garrison empty right before the new school year and all the big name stores until they were lost in groves of mesquites. Coming out the other side of the small scraggly forest, Lance could have fooled himself into thinking he was in a western moving. There was one main road lined with mom and pop shops and a gas station. Off in the distance, he could see a mobile home park and even farther, the roof of a school. Everything else was ranch land, houses laid out literal miles apart, empty landscape only broken up by small mesquite forests. 

The Uber drove him up to a quaint little cafe sharing the building space with the post office. Lance slipped the driver his card then climbed out. He barely got his luggage when the Uber was off headed back towards Altea and the airport all the way on the other side. Lance huffed and started dragging his heavy bags, almost everything he physically held possession of stuffed into four suitcases and a duffel, to the front door of the cafe and stared up at the yellow canopy covering up the outside dining area with happy swirly letters following a fat cartoon bee spelling  _ Hunay’s _ . 

His best friend was a sap, Lance knew that. He chuckled as he moved to open the door, a sensor informing him of his arrival and setting off a faint string of Flight of the Bumblebee as he entered. Behind a counter where a banner with the same cute font and bee character, a large built man popped up wearing an apron with an orange headband holding his hair back. He looked alert at first before a huge smile broke across his face. The man walked out from behind the counter with arms spread. 

Lance met the hug halfway, not a word said between them until they had seeped in each other’s familiar but long missed warmth. 

“You smell like coffee and cake and I swear if you serve garlic knots in this joint, I’m going to have to steal you from Shay and marry you myself, my man,” Lance said taking a big whiff of sugar and man that was his platonic life partner. 

Hunk laughed. The sound was deeper than Lance remembered, but it was good. Everything was suddenly really good. 

“You’re more likely to just get adopted. Just wait until you meet Shay properly. She’ll be calling you Lancey Lance unironically before you know it,” Hunk greeted then pulled Lance in for a second hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again.”

Lance didn’t have the words to express how much he agreed with that statement. He just squeezed his best friend tighter as if he was the only thing keeping Lance from drowning. At times, Hunk had been. 

Hunk finally pulled away and held Lance out at arm's length before patting his shoulders. “Alright, well, Pidge should be here in a few minutes. She has the bulk of your keys. Then, we can head on over and we’ll help you unpack.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Lance said, but he knew he would let them. He didn’t have much currently on him, but he had ordered quite a bit when looking for online sales and the rest had been picked up by Hunk and Pidge with Lance’s approval over the past year from garage sales and the flea market across town. 

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?” Hunk insisted then his eyes lit up as he looked past Lance. “Oh, there she is.”

Lance turned to see a petite figure making their way across the road from the building opposite the cafe. They had paused as a cyclist on a sleek red motorcycle did a U-turn and raced off with a loud zoom. Once the dust from their wheels had cleared, Lance could make out the ever slightly annoyed face of one Katie Holt. AKA: Pidge. 

Pidge was a friend Hunk had made in his engineering program at the Garrison. She was younger than them by two years, but far smarter on a wider level though Lance was sure Hunk could outdo her on certain aspects of robot building and basic programming. Lance had only befriended her through Skype calls and a multitude of meme filled texts and conversations over the phone. Yet, Lance already owed her a lot. 

Still.

“You’re a lot shorter than I thought you would be.”

Amber eyes looked up at Lance from behind large wire-rimmed glasses in surprise before narrowing into a glare that rivaled that of a rabid animal. It matched the fluffy frizz the Texas heat had made of her short brown, bordering on ginger, hair. 

“I will rip your throat out with my teeth, McClain,” she growled. 

“Dude, that’s worse than when you mistook her for a boy. I’m surprised how the only person I’ve ever seen you introduce yourself to correctly was Shay.”

Using a pickup line on your best friend’s girlfriend when meeting her for the first time over a skype call didn’t seem like a proper introduction, but Lance shrugged. “Look, English kind of sucks and Spanish is my first language. It's chalk full of gendered words. I had to pick something. I picked wrong. I thought we were over that.”

“Oh, we will never be over that,” Pidge said walking up to one of the smaller tables in the cafe to swing her backpack off her shoulders and unzip it. She pulled out a stack of papers and stuffed them into Lance’s chest. “You’re supposed to read and sign those. They’re already signed, though, so just read them when you get home. They’re copies.”

Lance lifted the papers up trying to make sense of the makeshift mess in his hands and looked over the top page. “Oh, these are for the house, right? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you guys helping set this all up for me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’re paying for my coffee every morning for the next six years with the amount workaround I had to do to get you this job and that old house,” Pidge said and slung the backpack back over her shoulders.

Lance grimaced. “Let’s not talk about whether you did anything illegal or not. I don’t want the liability of that knowledge.”

“Right,” Hunk agreed and slapped a large hand on Lance’s shoulders, “let’s just focus on the good stuff. I’ve got an Escalade with more of Lance’s furniture in the back and a new house to furnish.”

Pidge was already halfway out the door waving a hand around as she headed to a gold colored SUV. “Just because we moved it off of Old Miss Larson’s land onto this one doesn’t make it a new house. It was built in like the 20s.”

“Well, that sounds like the kind of place I want to live. I like antiques,” Lance said. 

“Dude, I sent you pictures, it’s fine,” Hunk assured and pulled out the keys to his car. 

Pidge immediately jumped into the passenger seat and stuck her tongue out at Lance. Lance wanted to argue, he was the guest of honor after all, but then he started piling in his bags along with the boxes of furniture they needed to start building and thought better of leaving Pidge with all his junk in the back. 

The drive to Lance’s new home was long. He watched the afternoon slowly become night as they passed by the red brick building of Arus' school and Lance was struck by how small it looked in real life. There were more ranches and farmland and he finally got a good look at one of the trailer parks. There was actually quite a bit of land in between each trailer though he couldn’t say anything positive about most of the trailers. There were definitely a couple of newly bought ones from young couples thinking this was the better deal. 

“Ah, here we go,” Pidge said pointing out the window. “That’s the Shirogane farm. It’s run by Shiro. He works at the school, too. Your place is on the far end of his farmland. We should be getting pretty close.”

Lance stared at the rolling flat grassland. He could see cows. Mostly just cows and more skimpy forests, but he did catch sight of a large looking white home in the distance not far from a red barn. And maybe some of the cows were actually horses, it was dark. He knew he would have to pay a visit to this Shiro he had heard nothing but good things about. He was somehow a friend of Pidge’s and it was only his willingness to sell the land next door to the ranch that Lance was here. He had given a price that a newly graduated college student from halfway across the country could afford right out of his pocket with a minimal loan. And the house they had added on was cute.

When that house came into view as the sun set, Lance felt his chest swell. It was small, but a comfortable blue with white panes and little shutters. It even had a few flower bushes already set up around the tiny porch. A two bedroom two baths refurbished beauty that was all his own in only a few more lousy payments over the next few years, but his all the same. 

The SUV slid up alongside a fair looking blue jeep and Lance eyed the car as he slid out of Hunk’s and began filling his arms with his luggage. 

“Well, hurry up, we don’t have all night. It’s going to take you all weekend as it is to get unpacked and settled and you have less than two weeks before you have to start prep work for the school,” Pidge called from the porch as Hunk started unloading boxes from the back of his car. 

Lance hurried over to her and bounced on his heels as Pidge dug through her bag once again pulling out a set of keys finally with a small blue dolphin that looked like it had probably come from a hotel or some pool store with the scratched up numbers and letters aligned like an address printed on it. She held them out to Lance grinning from ear to ear. 

“Here’s your keys, loverboy,” she said.

Lance fumbled with trying to grab them weighed down by all his bags, but he eventually was able to hold them tight against his chest. When he looked down, he noticed more than the usual two for the front door. “What’s all this?”

“Well, you have one key for the front door and then Hunk took the spare. You have one for the back and I have the spare to that one. You might want to make another set for Shiro since he’s basically your neighbor, though not much of one considering your house is a long walk from his. Then there is a key to both Hunk’s apartment in Altea and the cafe and then one to my dorm in the Garrison, don’t tell them I made that. Then you have your main and spare key to the jeep.”

“The jeep? Why do I need a key to the jeep? Who’s is it?” Lance asked staring down at the two black handled keys with the little Jeep emblem on them. 

“It’s yours,” Pidge said. “Happy late birthday, Lance McClain and welcome to Texas.”

Birthday? That had been two weeks ago. It was August already. He could tell the jeep wasn’t the most expensive thing, but it was still his. His home, his car, his friends. Lance felt the tears leave his eyes before he even realized he was going to cry. He dropped all his bags and launched himself at Pidge holding the smaller girl tightly. 

“Whoa, whoa, Hunk!” Pidge flailed in his arms.

Lance just held on tighter and sniffed, voice soft and hoarse. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

“Pidge, let him hug you. You just dumped a huge load of southern hospitality on him and if you’re not careful, he’ll learn the Yellow Rose of Texas by the end of the week and you know he’ll be obnoxious about it. The jeep was your idea, after all, so deal with his affectionate gratitude,” Hunk said as he started to load boxes onto the porch.

Hesitantly, a small hand placed itself on Lance’s shoulder and another came to comb through his hair. 

And this, this right here was his new family.

His new life.

☆

Arus Independent School district was small. Like sma-Ah-all, with all the emphasis. There was one building for the elementary that included the primary school that overflowed into two portables. On the opposite side of the campus was the middle school which was just three halls and a portable for the office. And behind all of that was the high school where most of the offices were located as well as all the elective rooms, the auditorium, and the sports gym. There was another gym for the smaller children, a nurses station, and a building Lance was introduced to as the place he would spend most of his time in after and between classes as they held the copier and the computer lab where the library for the elementary and middle school was located next to. After the initial shock had worn off, Lance found himself quite happy with the close layout. There was still plenty of fields around the school for outdoor activities and from the many meetings he had attended just that day, it seemed they were in the works of gathering funds for a primary school building and a second full cafeteria instead of the small kitchen area the elementary school had in an attempt to feed the smaller children without forcing their breakfast and lunch to overlap. He remembered always being in a rush to get to class even though he went to a fairly small school himself living in a suburb of Detroit, but his schools had been separated by roads at least. And he didn’t have assemblies with his younger siblings.

Lance learned a lot about Arus just from the meetings. And there was a lot of meetings. By the time they broke for lunch before going through the big wrap up, Lance was sure he could tell you just about every past principle for each of the three schools. They were all old squatty men, though, and Lance wouldn’t be able to point them out if faced with pictures. Except for one. 

Allura Altea. The Vice Principal of the elementary school. A beautiful tall dark skinned woman with natural platinum hair that spoke with such an alluring accent Lance was sure she had been named just for that voice. She was also Lance’s boss for all intents and purpose having talked more than the actual principal and Lance forgot which of the many old stubbly white men was the elementary’s principal. He was pretty sure he could get away with not knowing as long as he knew the guy’s name. But, back to the VP, Lance knew with definite certainty that Miss Allura as she asked to be called, was off his radar for anything beyond casual flirting. 

Unfortunate.

However, as far as Lance’s fellow teachers went, there were definitely a couple of attractive older women. Most of the male teachers left Lance feeling unnerved, particularly the sports coaches who looked like they hadn’t played their respective sport in over a decade with their beer bellies and lack of any real muscle. Except one. And damn if he wasn’t an exception.

The almighty Shiro. Takashi Shirogane. A buff man just past his thirties with the physique of a real athlete and the face of a model. Even if one of his arms was robotic and he was graying early. Even if he was Lance’s neighbor and had basically sold him his own house. Takashi Shirogane was totally on Lance’s radar for actual flirting, not that he should, but it was an option. Just because Lance was stuck in Texas where his sexuality was totally legal, but not totally accepted by the larger older population, didn’t mean he couldn’t be happy. He knew a hacker that could ruin anyone’s life if they tried to deny him happiness in this time and day.

Fuck them!

Also, fuck Coran. Lance could dig that orange mustache and understood how it might make children more comfortable to talk to the counselor about their feelings. He was definitely too old, though, but he would probably suck up any compliment Lance gave him. He had been showing Lance around before the meetings and Lance had already tested the waters on that. 

Now that the meetings had a break, he was unsure where he should stick himself. He had yet to even see his classes and Coran was in the middle of an enthusiastic conversation with one of the older female teachers. Standing by the meeting room table, Lance busied himself with playing with his thin plaid tie and noticed a button starting to slip out of its hole in his navy shirt. He should have tried on his cousin’s old interview clothing before he got that mechanic’s job, but they had been the same size up until Lance had gone to college and dealt with the stress of homework by working out. At least, it seemed like it was the workouts that had him popping buttons and not a growing gut from his high metabolism slowing down. 

“Excuse me, Mr. McClain.”

Lance immediately turned startled to find the VP leaning against the table next to him all pretty and strong in her cut dusty pink dress suite and bundled up hair. “M-Miss Allura, hello.”

Allura smiled softly at him, eyes narrowing a bit as if she was trying not to laugh. At least she found him amusing. “If it is alright with you, shall I escort you to your classroom? It’s quite bare and you will want to make preparations quickly for how you will be decorating it. We can also go over your budget for such things.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m excited to see it,” Lance said. 

Allura’s little beige heels clicked with expert steps as she led the way to the elementary school. Lance kept his eyes leveled with her shoulders and was thankful when Allura did not veer off towards the portables. The air conditioning was set low without the hordes of children to heat up the halls, but Lance was still warm. Even if he was used to heat from visiting Florida every summer, he did mostly live in a place where below zero was more often the forecast than three digits were. At the very end of the last hall just next to the bathrooms was an empty classroom. Allura held the door open for Lance as he stepped in.

A quaint little classroom completed with twenty heavily scribbled on desks and twenty chairs as well as one table set in the far back laid before him. At the front were two desks, one set to the side with cables set up for a computer and another at the front with a projector on it, the likes of which Lance hadn’t seen since he was in primary school back in gator infested Florida. He walked past the first row of desks, fingers tracing their tops then turned and inspected the projector before finally walking over to the desk where he promptly plopped himself into the shabby gray chair with a small tear at the corner of both arms. It squeaked harshly, but Lance felt something rise in his chest. 

“This class really hasn’t been used much,” Allura said leaning against the door frame giving Lance full access to explore his second home. “The board has been holding off on getting a new science teacher for the elementary school students for a few years, but they’re starting to grow as land become cheaper out here so many of the outer city families in Altea move here. It helps that the Sincline group opened up a new sugar cane farm on the far side of Arus.”

“Oh, then I guess I applied just in time,” Lance said and shot a wink at Allura. “You could say I’m your knight in starry armor.”

“Starry? Oh, because you’re a science teacher,” Allura said and laughed. “Yes, yes I suppose you could say that. Oh, I’m afraid you’ll have to bring your own computer. We will provide you one, but it won’t be fast. I would advise you use it only for school programs that have to go through the wiring. We do have your textbooks. All of that will be delivered tomorrow. I’m afraid your lesson plans will have to be made in a short expanse of time, but we do have example ones you can use for the first few weeks. And your fellow teachers should be willing to help.”

“That won’t be a problem. I already read the old editions of the fifth grade science textbooks,” Lance said and swiveled in the chair. If he moved left, it didn’t squeak. “I’ll just revise the ones I already have and get them to you for approval.”

“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. You won’t have to be worried about other grades for the most part as you’ll be most of the fifth grade classes’ science teacher. You’ll have five classes a day, plus a break for gym and recess if you're not on duty and for the elective classes. Lunch will be after third period,” Allura explained. 

Lance suddenly felt tired. It wasn’t that long ago he was taking classes from eight in the morning until eight at night. At least this was only Monday through Friday. And he would have to find a summer job. Perhaps he should just get a Sunday job. Hunk might let him work part-time at his cafe. But, that was a worry for later. Right now, he needed to figure out how to cover the empty white, more of a gray, colored walls.

“I think I’ll be fine,” Lance finally said.

Allura let out a sigh. “That’s good. I...was worried, I have to admit. You’re not much younger than me, but I grew up with much privilege. My family founded Altea after all and I had a summer home here in Arus growing up. Getting to my position was easy, but I haven’t been at it long and I know the struggle.”

Lance glanced over at Allura. She was trying to connect with him and he was flattered, but he had heard her doing the same thing with the other teachers at the meeting. It was a genuine and honest want in an attempt to be a good educator, and for that Lance refused to get his hopes up. He knew well this kind of woman would find it hard to fall for him. And there was no point in pursuing his boss. 

“Thank you,” he said and turned to look out the window next to his desk, “it means a lot to have an understanding boss. Oh, is that Mr. Shirogane?”

“Hmm? Oh, Shiro?”

Allura tapped her heels across the classroom and slid up next to Lance at the desk peeking out of the window as well. Indeed, Takashi Shirogane was outside throwing a ball around with one of the middle school history teachers, both wearing polos and khakis with their sleeves rolled up. Lance was amazed by the tech in Shiro’s right arm. Pidge had really outdone herself helping make that. He heard she and her brother had been adding upgrades to it over the years. It did nothing to subtract from the attraction that surrounded the high school soccer coach and main athletic department teacher. 

“Shiro?”

Allura did not glance at Lance. “Yes. Most simply call him Coach Shiro just like most call me Miss Allura. The children will probably end up calling you just Lance since you’re young.”

Lance shrugged. He was fine with that. Mr. McClain was his father. “Ah, but he’s Shiro to you?”

And Pidge and Hunk, but this wasn’t about them.

Allura’s cheeks tinted pink and she pulled away from the window. “N-no, he’s Shiro to most people around here. I’m not special at all.”

“Oh, you’re one special woman, alright,” Lance said and pushed past her to open the window and leaned out. “Yo, Coach Shiro! How about you toss me a few balls and we have a walk around the fields?”

Allura gasped behind Lance. “Mr. McClain!”

“Lance,” Lance corrected. 

Shiro stared at Lance for only a second before smiling at him and waved. “Oh, Lance! Yeah, definitely! Just come on out when you’re done with Allura.”

“Oh, that might be a while. I get the feeling she’ll hit me if I push her buttons right.”

“Lance!” both Allura and Shiro said at the same time and Lance pulled himself back into the room, closing the window. He turned to face the VP with a nervous smile.

“What? Boss, you look annoyed.”

“This is a school environment, do not talk so inappropriately.”

Lance sighed. “I promise I’ll behave around the children and around the old white men, but flirting is part of my personality. And being bisexual is not something I’m going to hide, but I’m not okay with making someone uncomfortable. If such compliments bother you, I won't do it again, but I think Shiro will be okay with them.”

Allura was still glaring at him, but she had a bit of a flush. “Just keep it in check. I...I won’t let you get fired for being bisexual. No one will get fired for their sexuality, that is not how we run Arus.”

Lance nodded. Well, that was a relief at least. “Thanks. You and Coran have been a real big help so far. Now, Shiro’s actually my neighbor, so I need to ask him what kind of fruit he likes so I can bake that in bread and walk it over like a good new neighbor.”

Allura sighed but started for the door. “Alright, but remember our last meeting is in forty minutes.”

“Forty minutes, it’s a date,” Lance called after her. He waited until he couldn’t hear the click of her heels before ruffling his hair and groaning. “My big mouth is going to get me in so much trouble.”

✩

Lance loved the night. In Michigan, he loved the quiet eerie darkness that threatened him and his friends with evil deeds when they made snack runs after midnight, though their luck always held up. He loved heading down to the beach in Miami on hot nights and going for a swim even alone or with his current summer fling. Mostly he liked the stars. Sat against the side of his house, Lance found a ladder tall enough for him to scramble up with a telescope and his computer and sit on the slope of his patched roof. With a thermos of coffee specially blended by Hunk and his work laid out and set to the side, Lance peered through his telescope at the nearby land. He had a much stronger telescope packed away, but it would be difficult to bring it on his roof and he had planned on finding the perfect spot to set it up his own personal observatory. He had been looking into tracking Jupiter’s moon, Europa as well as a particular patch of stars he found interest in in winter. If he had gotten into the Garrison, Lance had planned on writing his final thesis on the survival of organic life on icy planets and moons, but instead he had written a watered down version for elementary school children as part of his final project at the local university when he got his teacher certificate and degree. Still, the interest was there and he could get more detail and information if he took more than one year to write the paper. 

First was the location.

The plot of land Shiro had sold him through his friends was good, but he wished he could find someplace higher. Looking through the telescope, Lance found a fair sized white house not far from a red barn with a light on the porch and in one corner room. He figured that was Shiro’s house. Lance didn’t think the man lived by himself, but he had heard nothing from Hunk about Shiro having a family and he hadn’t exactly brought it up in their short conversations during the meetings before school started. Pidge would probably give him more than he asked for if he asked her, the girl had far more information on things than she needed. 

Lance continued looking about the land finding fields with a few cows still lingering. It was a warm night and Lance didn’t know much about actual cow ranches, but he supposed it was alright to keep them outside. It wasn’t like there were wolves here, just coyotes. He had heard about jaguars occasionally appearing, though. Some yards away from that was a water tower. It looked old but still structurally sound, and it was on Shiro’s land. 

It was also in the perfect spot to see Jupiter when it rolled around and faced away from Altea’s light pollution so he could see the cluster of stars during winter. He wondered if Shiro would mind if he set up there every couple of weeks. He didn’t think he would. Maybe the coach would even climb up and join him. Lance had found out Shiro taught the only astronomy class in the high school as an elective instead of the usual health classes more coaches did. And then they would fall in love and have sex under the stars and Lance could get all the money back he had spent on the small plot of land because he could just move into that big white house and find purchase in those muscled (and robotic) arms.

Lance laughed. That was a real dream right there. He didn’t think he was Takashi Shirogane’s type if the man was even into other men. 

Still, he would ask about the water tower.

Continuing to look, Lance found Shiro’s land stretched down along a creek and a mess of more trees. Lance frowned spotting two lights shimmering in the trees and focused his scope further in on them. Two figures. Neither was particularly tall, but one was almost child size in their petiteness. He would have thought perhaps it was a parent and their kid if the mop of ginger hair didn’t give them away as Pidge. Lance laughed seeing the flashlight strapped to her head and the vest of other strange equipment strapped to her chest as she navigated the forest. Right behind her was a guy Lance couldn’t really make out, also wearing a light on top of, yep, that was totally a mullet. He was very pale, too. Lance wondered who this friend of Pidge’s was he hadn’t met before. Well, if he was out there doing who knew what with Pidge, he was probably a weirdo. 

All of Lance’s friends were weirdos, though. 

And he loved them.

Lance sighed and leaned back against the roof of his house. One more week of prep work and Lance would start the last step of his new life.

Of his real life?

Lance sighed.


	2. "...Last Messenger of Misery,..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update August 23rd

**2.“...Last Messenger of Misery,...”**

  
  
  


Fifth graders. Preteens. There were always many family members surrounding Lance growing up. He had dozens of cousins and quite a few were around this age. He had chosen this age range himself when going for his teaching degree, but he also knew not to think of the older elementary school children as simple children. Finally becoming a true teacher, Lance thought he was prepared for the children. He had not been prepared for the parents. 

The students averaged about twenty a class. Out of five classes a day, Lance would teach three.

He was one of only two fifth grade science teachers and the only one teaching strictly fifth graders. He had more than half the students' names to memorize. And each student brought two or more family members.

Each family member had a story and another two names to tack on.

Lance found his true talent in being able to remember them all. He had always been a social butterfly which helped. Except, he didn’t have to know the backstory of only  _ his _ students. The fact he was fluent in Spanish even if his dialect and slang were a bit off made him the prime translator for the other teachers in the fifth grade hall. Apparently, the older the students got the whiter the teachers. Except, the one teacher that taught Spanish as a subject which everyone took because they already knew Spanish or needed to learn Spanish. 

At the end of Meet the Teacher Day, Lance knew the names of all eighty-five fifth graders, forty fourth graders, twenty third graders, a handful of sixth graders, and two seniors curious about the new young and handsome teacher. (They may have said interesting, not handsome, but Lance liked to think he could be the heartthrob teacher on a totally professional basis). And then there was Allura.

The Vice Principal, to her credit, did know basic Spanish, but her English accent was thick when she talked and she got frustrated too easily when someone wasn’t taking her seriously. And most of the older husbands and fathers weren’t taking her seriously. Lance had very politely threatened a couple who were using some harsh words when they had roamed by with the mothers of their children doing all the actual prep work for the next year of their childrens’ education. 

Shiro didn’t even try. He didn't have to. Somehow he knew when someone said something crude about him. Lance was confused about most of it. More than once he was referred to as a lunatic or some derrogatory form of gay which had Lance cringing. Shiro, though, he just flexed his arms particularly the biotech one and grinned at the men before starting to spout off in Japanese what Lance thought were curses of his own. 

The mothers loved Shiro, though. Particularly, the younger ones and there were more of those than Lance liked to think about. He might love children, but he wasn’t ready to settle down  _ with kids _ the moment he got to Arus. Certainly, he had come to Arus to begin that journey, but dedicating himself to a child would take longer. He was a serious man now.

Which was exactly why the little groans escaping him as he pulled himself out of his jeep at the only dry cleaners in town and dropped off his apple juice and spit up soaked outfit for the day were just that. He wasn’t pouting. He wasn’t moping. He wasn’t whining. 

And Lance still had to finish decorating his classroom tomorrow. The students would be coming in only a week. 

The moment Lance was out of the dry cleaners, he turned his head and pressed it against the cool glass of the door and kicked his arms and feet in a small tantrum. A shiver ran up Lance’s spine and his ears rang. He popped his head up to see who was watching him, but he saw no one, only heard the sound of a motorcycle turning around and parking in the lot across the street from Hunk’s cafe. 

Ah, Hunk, he was good for cheering up. Lance looked back to his jeep then shook his head. It was literally only three buildings down the road, Lance decided to just walk. He regretted being without air conditioning for the whole three minutes it took him to get inside and pressed himself up against the nearest window. The setting Texas sunlight actually felt good when he wasn’t directly in it, though flyers scattered across the large front window of the cafe blocked most of it. He pulled himself away from the window, but his eye caught on a bright green flyer with clipart of an alien printed on it. Lance squinted his eyes to read the text through the paper and the glass. The bigger words were difficult to read backwards and there was a lot of them, but Lance got the gist of what the flyer was trying to say.

**Gunderson Insurance**

Insured against all Unidentifiable Living Beings

With only  **$10** a month

you too could be protected!

Cattle being abducted?

Goats drained of blood?

No worries

You’re covered with Gunderson Insurance

( _ additional security items sold in store and online _ )

“Alien insurance?” Lance could barely believe it. Quickly, he rushed out of the cafe and ripped the flyer from the window. The green paper had begun to turn yellow from sun exposure, but he noticed there was an empty perforated line on the bottom of the page that must have contained the information on where to go for the insurance.

From inside, Lance caught a glimpse of Hunk walking out of the back. He scrunched the flyer in his hand and marched back in walking straight up to the counter and slammed the flyer down on it. Hunk jumped, the tray of danishes he had in hand tipping slightly, but he managed to set it down on the counter before turning to Lance with wide eyes.

“Lance, what’s wrong? You almost made me drop perfectly salable food?” he asked.

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked and scoffed out a laugh before digging a finger into the flyer. “How can you let people put this junk on your shop, Hunk?”

Hunk looked confused before pulling the flyer from Lance’s grasp. “Oh, that, it’s nothing to get upset over. Besides, all the information is gone, might as well throw it out for them.” He crumpled it up and tossed it in a waste bin behind the counter with a little jump. It landed and he did a fist bump. Lance was unimpressed. 

“I’m not joking around, buddy. You know how there were all those scammers back in Detroit. So many of our friends’ parents were on the brink of being deported because they couldn’t pay the suppose ‘transit’ insurance,” Lance said.

Hunk sighed. “It’s not really a scam. I wouldn’t leave it up if it was. Don’t you know this town’s history on alien abductions and sightings? It’s about the only reason anyone visits Arus instead of going straight to Altea.”

“Yeah, well overlooking the aliens part, because those could totally be real and I’m all up for intergalactic relationships, what about the cryptids. Mothman isn’t running around Texas last I heard,” Lance argued and leaned over the counter closer to his friend.

“Why Mothman out of all? You sound like Keith,” Hunk muttered beneath his breath which only fueled Lance’s annoyance. Eventually, Hunk just sighed. “Lance, what’s wrong? You’re about two seconds away from threatening someone with your  _ chanclas _ like your mom always did.”

Lance immediately deflated. “Sorry, work has just been hard. We met the parents today and I had to do a lot of translating and some of the older parents can get talkative. They talked all about how they came to America. A few gave me dirty looks when they found out I was Cuban, not Mexican. I got juice spilled on me. And Allura still hasn’t got me the budget for decorating my room. It’s so empty, Hunk. I can’t have a science classroom without science posters. I don’t have time to make them all myself.”

Hunk reached out and patted Lance’s shoulder. “There, there, you don’t need cool decorations to be a good teacher, Lance.”

“Yeah, but I want all my students to learn something. If they’re going to space out and look at the walls, they might as well look at something interesting. And they help. I just want my kids to be comfortable. I was going to buy all these cool posters that came in both English and Spanish. Right now I only have the previous teachers’ old stuff.”

“That sounds rough. I know schools have a lot of hassle where budgeting is concerned. I hope it gets sorted out soon, but you’ll figure out how to work around all that. You’re Lancey Lance after all. Remember all the promises you made when we were younger?”

Lance laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, Lancey Lance wasn’t the best superhero name, but it was better than Hunk Tuck n Roll.”

“Hey now, my name was awesome. But, you promised to take care of every child like you. And you’re going to do that.”

Lance smacked the counter and stood up straighter. “Hunk my good man, you’re right. I don’t need money to teach these children. The first course is on biology, I’ll figure something out before the first day of school...probably.”

“That’s my boy. Now, how about a cup of coffee to go? Pidge is about to come in for her part-time shift and she’s loaded down in school work and I have a date with Shay.”

“Ah, kicking me out already?” Lance teased. “And I came here to be comforted.”

“I did the comforting part and now it is time for you to do the go part. Sit, I’ll make you something special. I’ve been working on a blend that another regular really likes, but it’s too bitter for me, but also too sweet. You like both ends of the spectrum so you might like it.”

“Do your worse. It can’t be any more bitter than the old white men at school.”

Hunk laughed and went about preparing the drink. When Lance finally got to taste it, it made him furrow his brows at first, but there was something different to this coffee he wouldn’t have expected. “The blend is really rich and almost too harsh, but it really wakes you up, gets the blood pumping, but that after taste. It’s so smooth and sweet.”

“Its sweetened with honey and I used an almond milk base I have for lactose intolerant customers,” Hunk answered. “The customer wanted something to wake him up and then he asked for milk and honey and I know he should not be drinking milk so I gave him that. I added cinnamon upon request and here it is, I call it Southern Summer Sunset Blend.”

Lance took another sip, the coffee warming him up. He closed his eyes and tried to picture the sunset he had seen on his first day here, the only time he had so far to watch it. The taste really complimented such a scene. “Hunk, buddy, this is my new regular.”

✩

The next day was worse. Lance didn’t see Allura at all to ask her about how he could get access to the school budget to buy the needed material for his classroom since the list provided by the school had been premade before his arrival. Instead, he was scrounged up by the high school Spanish teacher and football coach and asked to help him finish up his lesson plans because he had important preseason training to do with some of the older players who were serious about playing for college as if Altea even cared about their meager sports program. (Which Lance only agreed to because it wasn't a lot of work and the Spanish teacher was one of only two Mexican teachers in the high school.) Then the principal showed up and got on Lance for helping others only for Shiro, oh blessed Shiro, to pull the principle away with a question about his soccer budget and apparently Arus loved their soccer because the amount Lance overheard was more than he was more than the fifth grade core curriculum had. 

Baseline, school sucked as much as it had back when Lance was in grade school. And he was even more stressed with his next payment to Shiro on the horizon and he was pretty sure the jeep needed aligning as it kept drifting left. Next week would also be the official start of school and Lance’s first actual day of teaching. He’d be a teacher through and through. It was hard to really imagine. Student teaching had felt more like a game than actual work. It made Lance ansty, so of course he drove straight to Hunk’s cafe after work. 

The moment Lance parked his jeep at the farthest space in front of the little strip of shops where Hunk’s cafe was, his mood soured by ten. There was a man standing at one of the windows, a stack of neon green papers under his arm and a roll of tape held between his teeth as he stuck a sheet onto the window. That same cheap alien clipart stared back at Lance and he growled. So this was the prick that thought he could scam good innocent people out of hard earned money all over a very implausible fear. He bet the guy didn’t even understand what it was like to be a true alien. Lance practically jumped out of his jeep and slammed the door earning the guy’s attention. He walked straight up to the man with purposeful steps and poked a finger into his chest. 

The tape fell from the man’s mouth and he leaned back and furrowed his brows staring from Lance’s finger then up to his eyes. And man, his eyes. What kind of color was that? It must have just been the setting sun’s light and the shadow of his black cowboy hat causing them to appear purple. 

“Um, can I help you?” the man asked. 

“Yes you can. You can start by trashing these lies,” Lance said and reached out for the flyer the man was about to put up and quickly tore it in half.”

The man watched the flyer bits fall to the sidewalk and his furrow turned into one raised brow. “You just littered.”

Lance looked at his feet then crossed his arms. “I’ll pick it up later, right now I’m arguing with you.”

The man sighed and pulled out a new flyer. “Hunk said I could put these here. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“The problem here is that you’re lying to hundreds of people about being able to insure them against such things as ghosts and goblin. Like, the government won’t even insure against their own mishaps, you think they’ll help you out with covering for aliens and don’t even get me started on the goblins.”

The man looked confused. “We don’t insure goblins.”

Lance glanced at the flyer and stabbed a finger at the part that said "All Unidentified Living Beings". 

The man rolled his eyes and put the flyer back. “I told her to put aliens and cryptids.”

“Cryptids, that’s even worse!” Lance yelled and threw his hands up in the air. “You think Mothman is going to show up in little ole Arus, Texas? Hell, no!”

“Yeah, hell no, Mothman’s from West Virginia,” said the man. “He’s got no reason to visit us, but the aliens are real.”

Lance waved a hand. “Well, technically, aliens are pausable.” 

“They’re more than pausable,” the man argued, his purple eyes lighting up with heat. “Just in this county itself, there have been thirty reported sightings of UFOs in the past year and a half and forty percent of those sightings come from Arus alone. Another ten comes from Altea.”

Lance scoffed. “But you can’t prove that aliens are here and dangerous.”

“I don’t know about dangerous, but they’re definitely here,” the man said, but his voice was much softer. His leather fingerless gloved covered hands tightened around the stack and the other at his side. 

This guy was crazy. Lance crossed his arms and took a moment to look at him properly. He wore, not cowboy boots, but they were boots and very colorful. They reminded Lance of modern art. Black skinny jeans clung to his legs and man did they clean to some thick thighs, but the guy was fairly small. The black and red plaid shirt he wore was loose on his frame up until his shoulders where they filled out and the sleeves were rolled up to reveal the pale white of his arms and the flex of his muscles. Black hair fell around his face in multiple layers giving him not quite a mullet, but Lance decided it was a good enough word to describe the look that actually complimented the pretty face of their owner. And then there was the black cowboy hat to round out the look. 

Well, fuck, if this guy wasn’t the very definition of an emo cowboy, Lance didn’t know what was.

And he was hot. Crazy, but hot.

Lance was still mad, though. “Don’t put those flyers on my friend’s cafe anymore is all I’m saying.”

“And all I’m saying,” Mullet Cowboy said and reached down for his fallen tape, “is Hunk already said it was fine. But these flyers are messed up, so maybe I should thank you for pointing that out...uh.”

“Uh, the name’s Lance,” Lance growled.

“Lance,” the man said softly and Lance wanted to punch himself for thinking it sounded like a purr. “Well, you should do a bit more research on the area before coming up to a guy and telling him about something he knows much more about than you do, Lance.”

Definitely not a purr that time. 

The man turned and started walking.

“Hey, wait, come back here, uh…”

The man stopped at a red and black motorcycle and glanced back at Lance as he threw a leg over it revving up the engine. The same bike Lance had been seeing multiple times parked across the road. “Keith.”

Keith.

Lance watched Keith as he pulled out of the parking lot and burned tire as he did a U-turn and headed down the road. Watching him go, Lance wondered how the fuck Keith kept his cowboy hat on going at that speed.

✩

Saturday came with Hunk, Pidge, and multiple brown bags filled with bad decisions straight from across the border. Lance had ranted to Hunk about Keith after the emo cowboy had left and it appeared Pidge was the person Hunk ranted about Lance to, so here they both were on Lance’s porch watching the stars with him and drinking tequila straight from the bottle. Already there was a slight buzzing in Lance’s head. His reprise of complaints about school quickly turned over to complaints about Keith.

“Wait, so you’re not just complaining about Keith out of some kind of bisexual unresolved tension because the man is pretty, I’ll admit.” Pidge sat up from where she laid between Lance and Hunk taking in their body heat. “You do know Gunderson Insurance is my company, right?”

“Wait, what?” Lance said popping up in surprise. 

Pidge raised a brow before turning to Hunk who looked sheepish and sat up as well to lean against the single rickety rocking chair on Lance’s porch. “He was so mad about it, I didn’t think you would want me to tell him.”

Lance groaned and placed a hand across his face. “Why are you scamming people, Pidge?”

“It’s not a scam. My parents are well off and I went to college on a scholarship. With all sells I make off apps and programming work, I can pay off most of the insured people. And if a large scale attack happens, the government would be all up on that. If you read the fine print of the contracts, we’re not even covering anything big, just medical bills really.”

“But you’re telling people you’ll insure them from what are basically creatures of legends,” Lance argued.

There was a sudden smack to his knee and Lance sat up quickly jostling some of his tequila all over his hand. He rubbed his knee and glared at Pidge who sat crossed armed glaring. 

“Aliens are totally real! I’ve known people who were abducted,” Pidge stated.

“Who?” Lance asked.

Pidge immediately looked away, still angry, but her fight softened. “Why should I trust you with that information, you non-believer?”

Lance sighed and licked at his hand. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Pidge. Aliens could totally be legit. I’m talking about the cryptids.”

“Oh! Those were added mostly so Keith would work for me,” Pidge said grinning. “He thought it sounded like scamming as well. It took a lot of convincing, okay. We have a little place across the street from Hunk where we conduct our business and Keith mans most of it while I’m at school or working on my computer.”

“Which is most of the time. I don’t know when that guy ever gets anything else done,” Hunk says.

“We’re not that busy,” Pidge said. 

“So mullet cowboy is a cryptid hunter?” Lance asked and wiped the rest of his hand on his jeans. 

“Technically, both of us are, but he actually believes in them,” Pidge said.

Lance frowned. “So was it Keith I saw you running around with in the middle of the night on Shiro’s land with weird gear on the other week?”

Pidge had the audacity to blush. “Well, probably. Keith swears he heard a chupacabra out there.”

“They go cryptid hunting at least twice a month. I’ve gone a couple times. Sometimes Shay will come,” Hunk added. 

Pidge eyed Hunk with a grin. “Yeah, and then they get lost and I find them making kissy faces in an abandoned shack somewhere. You do know it’s always the two having sex that get killed off in horror movies, right?”

“Is that what you guys do for fun out here?” Lance wanted to laugh, but he and Hunk use to find abandoned buildings and play astronauts until they were way too old to do it. 

“Well, there is something else we could do,” Pidge said, her grin turning to Lance. 

Lance wondered how such a small person could look so mischievous, but the mad scientist persona Lance had always had of Pidge had only grown truer since coming to Texas.

“Pidge, no,” Hunk complained. “He’s going to get pissed.”

Pidge only waved Hunk off. “You know everyone has to do it once.”

“What?” Lance asked. He knew he’d regret it, but he was the newest citizen to Arus and if there was a tradition, he would fall to peer pressure eventually. 

Standing, Pidge towered over both men for once. She placed her hands on her hips, the light bit of moonlight glinting on her glasses. “We gotta go cow tipping, boys.”

“Cow...tipping...what the fuck is that?” Lance asked and took a sip of his drink. 

“It’s stupid,” Hunk said and gave Pidge a pleading look. 

“Hey, just because you couldn’t get it to work doesn’t mean we won’t ever.”

“No, that’s not why I’m complaining. It’s because I almost got Hunk Jr. knocked off by a cow’s hoof.”

Lance pressed his legs together. “That sounds like an awful idea. 

“Which is exactly why we should do it,” Pidge said and reached out to Lance for his bottle.

Lance handed it to her. “Explain.”

Pidge took a big swig then sighed as if it didn’t burn as she swallowed. Maybe she was a cryptid herself being able to drink like that. “Cow tipping, the act of sneaking up on a slumbering cow and pushing on it until it falls over. It is thought that they won’t be able to get up afterward which is false. It is also thought that you can’t tip a cow without a whole football team or more, though I’ve already proven sneaking up on them is easy.”

Lance just stared at Pidge hard for a moment. “You’re crazy you know that. Cow tipping only happens in movies. No one really does that.”

Pidge shrugged. “It’s a tradition in Arus to try, though most usually just scare the cow. We’ve always had quite a few here in our history, it’s a proud tradition of stupidity.”

“You say that as if your family has been in Arus more than one generation. Your dad’s from New York and your mom moved three counties over when she was fifteen. They met at the Garrison,” Hunk said.

“Hush Hunk. I’m trying to convince Lance to do something stupid.”

Lance sighed and reached out for the tequila. Pidge handed it back and he took a few sips of his own letting the warm liquid do its work on his fuzzy mind. “No convincing necessary. Let’s go let cows make fools out of us.”

Lance started second guessing whether he did need more convincing or not the further into Shiro’s land they got. He had thought they would hop into a car until one of them realized they shouldn’t be driving drunk and then abandon said car on the side of the road and walk to the nearest farm only to get sidetracked by a gas station on the way there or empty park. So, maybe this wasn’t his first time headed to do something stupid while intoxicated. It was hard to find good friends like Hunk in college. And tipping some cows seemed way tame. 

Eventually, they came to a wide open field and Lance wondered once more how big Shiro’s land actually was. No wonder they had been able to convince him out of the small lot Lance was now paying for. Far off there were some cows, most hunkered down already to nap under the moonlight and Lance almost thought they were beautiful. On a slope close by, one cow stood by itself lightly sniffling at the grass. 

“Oh, good, they left the cows out tonight,” Pidge said. “And there’s Kaltenecker! Great, we’ll tip her.”

Lance eyed Pidge. “You know the cows by name? How many times have you tipped Shiro’s cows?”

Pidge grinned up at him. “I only tip Shiro’s cows. But, besides that, he and my brother are really really good friends you could say. I come over all the time. He even use to babysit me. It was weird when he became a teacher right when I was graduating high school.”

“So he doesn’t care if we harass his cows?” Lance asked.

“Well, it’s not Shiro who is really going to have a problem with it,” Hunk said. 

“Who?” Lance asked. 

“Keith Kogane,” Pidge said, grin going even wider. “He’s the one that takes care of Shiro’s ranch for the most part.”

“I thought he worked for you?” 

“The insurance company is more of a hobby for both of us,” Pidge said. “But, you could really rile him up if you tipped over one of his cows. Also, this is a good chance to show him how big and strong you are.”

“Pidge, don’t goad him,” Hunk reprimanded. 

“Hey, I haven’t heard Keith talk about anyone other than us in years like he did about Lance after that confrontation. Even if he was making that angry pouty face, he was red,” Pidge said.

“He was mad?” Lance couldn’t believe it. Well, that was all the convincing he needed. Even if it was Pidge’s business and she had it covered on the money and legal front and Hunk had agreed with putting the flyers up, Lance still thought it was a scam. He couldn’t go against Pidge, though, he owed her his life for the next decade for getting him to Arus and helping set him up with his home. Keith, though, he didn’t owe Keith shit. 

Keith hadn’t done anything wrong, though. 

Lance shook his head and pushed up his sleeves. “Alright let’s go. I’m going to show that mullet head who's boss.”

“Whoa, hold up there loverboy,” Pidge said and reached out for Lance pulling him back. “I’m the boss and you need to know what you’re doing before you go out there.”

“I just...tip it,” Lance said and motioned with his hands. 

Pidge adjusted her glasses and turned to Hunk. “Care to explain, Hunk?”

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Basically, in order to tip a cow with only one person, you would have to come up on it unexpectedly when it was on a slope and push from the higher ground.”

“Right, so ninja my way up to higher ground and push. Got it,” Lance said and pulled away from Pidge. He started out from their hiding spot in the trees and made it to the line of fenced wire. The tops were barbed and Lance considered it for a moment before shrugging and walking back.

“You giving up already McClain?” Hunk asked. 

“Dude, I thought you didn’t even want me to do this?”

Hunk just shrugged. “It’s stupid and I want you to fail.”

“Is it the fence? There’s a gate...somewhere. I think I’m too drunk to remember though,” Pidge explained.

Lance grinned. “Don’t need it.”

In high school, Lance had been on the swim team. He also did soccer for some time before being forced to choose. He chose swimming. But, in the offseason, he ran and that was something he had kept up with during college, not the team itself, but the workouts and training. Lance stretched out his body as he looked at the fence. This was a bad idea. But, he could totally do it. Sober. Lance started running anyway. Praise God for long legs, but not so much for graceless feet as Lance cleared the top of the fence by leagues, but landed with a tumble. He stood up with his arms in the air anyway like some Olympic gymnast. 

“Tadah!”

Both Hunk and Pidge clapped and Lance liked to think they were impressed. He searched for the black and white cow they had spied from the trees and began to creep towards it laying low. He wasn’t sure if he was humming the mission impossible theme out loud or not, but he was definitely thinking about it as he approached. The cow had yet to indicate it knew he was there, but Lance knew cows were a bit smarter than they looked. 

“Alright, girl, stay calm and let me tip you,” he muttered to himself as he got onto the high ground and reached out. He pressed his hands to her sides and yelled a big “Boo!” before pushing.

Nothing.

Lance tried again and that was when the cow turned and looked at Lance before going back to snuffling the grass. Then, it lifted its head and let out a loud moo. 

“Oh, come on, you didn’t even fall over. Why are you calling for help,” Lance complained. Though she could just be mooing out of annoyance. 

There was a howl.

Nope, that was definitely an alarm moo.

Lance turned only to see a large wolf-like blur running straight for him. 

“Lance, get out of there. Kosmo’s out!”

The wolf was named Kosmo, good to know. Lance immediately started back to the fence. He glanced back once. The dog was still pretty far back, but behind it was… "You’ve got to be shitting me. Mullet wasn’t just wearing that hat for shits and giggles?”

Keith. Keith in his black cowboy hat and red flannel riding on the back of a large red horse. 

Lance almost felt the barbwire against the material of his pants when he jumped the second time. Hunk and Pidge were there to help him up and immediately they were off into the woods running and laughing. 

“Damnit, Pidge! I told you not to mess with the cows at night!” he heard Keith yelling after them. 

Lance glanced back once as they ran just because he wanted to see Keith’s pissed off face. His mind might have been a bit fuzzy from the alcohol because all he got was an image that should have been on the front of some western romance novel. There Keith stood at the fence on the back of a beautiful horse with a beautiful wolf-like dog being a beautiful emo cowboy wet dream. Under the moonlight no less. 

“Shit, even his dog is pretty,” Lance said.

Pidge burst out in another fit of laughter as they got closer to his house.

To say the least, all three woke up the next morning in various states of hungover in Lance’s living room and Lance had to down at least three cups of Hunk’s special brew before he could even open his eyes without wanting to throw up.

At least Allura finally found his part of the funds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this!!!! Please Comment and leave kudos. ^.^


	3. "..., Is A Hollow Actor." -- Henry Rollins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update: September 13

**3\. “…, Is A Hollow Actor.” - Henry Rollins**

After the first day of classes, Lance was glad he had splurged and gotten some coloring books. Even ten and eleven year olds liked to color and he hadn’t wanted to load the kids down on the first day back from a long summer. He gave them each a piece of paper and told them to write their name and draw or write something about what they did over the summer, English or Spanish, and they all finished pretty quickly. As luck would have it, Lance didn’t have a class last period so he had already started looking at the pictures and trying to get a feel for each student. He also didn’t have recess duty this week, which was what the fifth grade had at the end of the day, but he could see them playing in the little park just to the side of the convertibles outside. They were mostly nice children.

Lance sighed after going through the second classes’ stack of drawings and decided a walk was needed. He had tried talking nice to all his students, but it had been a while since he had to talk to children he wasn’t slightly familiar with. His interning had been at an elementary in Detroit and he knew all the Latin and Hispanic students and the family of everyone else. But, the male students didn’t seem as charmed by his personality as they did up north. Not that Michigan was levels ahead of Texas in terms of acceptance and he had heard the area around Altea was pretty good about that, but being a new teacher, he would have to be a bit stricter with the male students and he hated that. Lance hadn’t wanted to think about it, but the two spit wads he’d found on the back of his shirt had told him he had already overstepped a few boundaries. He was a bisexual teacher and if he wanted to be respected he would have to do a good job of teaching these children. This was the turning point in a lot of these kids’ lives. They would be starting puberty and have a lot of questions and he wasn’t a health teacher, but Lance was going to leave a good impression.

That’s what Lance told himself as he made his way outside passing by the playground. Off in the distance, he saw Shiro and a group of high schoolers pulling equipment out to a field. It looked like they were setting up soccer goals and Lance quickly ran to join them.

“Hey, Shiro!”

Shiro turned and immediately smiled seeing Lance. He waved his bionic arm at him before going to yell at a pair of boys roughhousing inside the goal while other students were setting it up.

“Hey, Lance, no afternoon classes?” Shiro asked.

“Nope! Mrs. Perez gets the afternoon science class and a longer lunch. They’re all at recess right now. Is this the soccer team?”

Shiro sighed. “Probably. We’re going to do some practice, but official tryouts aren’t for a couple weeks. It’s hard to fix their schedules, though, if they don’t make it and it’s not like there are a lot.” Shiro waved his other hand across the field.

Lance glanced around. There were maybe twenty-four students altogether, boys and girls. “Wait, you teach both soccer teams?”

“Yeah, and half the high school gym classes and a physics class and the geology/astronomy mix class.”

“Wow, your plate sounds full there, Shiro.”

He shrugged. “What can I do? I love this place and I love these kids. It would be great if I could have an assistant coach, but they can’t find one that would be willing to move here and teach a whole load of other classes.”

“Hah, my soccer coaches just taught Spanish.”

Shiro raised a brow. “You played?”

Lance placed his hands on his hips and smirked at Shiro. “Oh, I played. I was really good in middle school. Unfortunately, I had to choose between soccer and swim team in high school and I went with the water. Michigan is pretty far from the ocean and no one wants to swim in Lake Erie.”

Shiro hummed at that and brought a hand up to his chin considering. “So you don’t have a last period class?”

“No.” Lance eyed the man suspiciously. Well, he eyed him with interest first, Shiro looked good in jogging pants and a tight t-shirt with a little whistle hanging loose around his neck, but then he eyed him suspiciously.

“You probably won’t agree to this, but, how would you like to be my assistant? I know you don’t have a physical education degree, but there’s a loophole in our district that allows teacher assistants. And I could really use the help. I also co-run the STEM club we have going on and it’s a pretty big deal since we’re so close to the Garrison. We’ve got a robotics competition this year we’re almost surefire to get into which means missed practices and I can’t cancel too many of those if either team does good this year. Soccer is our highest rating sports, I'm sure the football coach told you about that.”

Lance frowned. He had been excited not having a last period, but it wasn’t like he could just leave, though, especially when his turn for recess duty came around. If he thought about the responsible positives, he would be able to enjoy a sport he hadn’t been able to for years and he could go to competitions and cheer in a crowd and enrich the older group of students here in Arus. It would also help his integration into this new society. And he knew Spanish so he could catch anyone talking smack about Shiro. Shiro was awesome. And it would be even more awesome if Shiro would agree to let Lance use the old water tower for his at home research. He would also get to stare at Shiro in his coach clothes and they could have long talks and grow closer, and if Shiro wasn’t still hung up on whatever he and Allura use to have, then...Lance stopped himself there.

“Sure, I’d love to help coach, but on one condition,” Lance said.

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “I’m not lowering your payments on the land. Pidge already conned me into a lot less than what the site said I should have sold that for, not that I really care.”

Lance’s eyebrows raised and he felt himself going red. “N-no, not that. I...I was wondering if I could use your water tower to do some personal research on some celestial objects I’ve been charting and researching these last few years. It’s in the perfect spot to view them.”

Shiro blinked then nodded. “Sure, I don’t care. Just don’t break the water tower. I’m actually not really all that involved with the ranch. My grandmother passed it down to me and I just kept up with it because it gave Keith something to do.”

“Keith?” Lance asked. “Oh, yeah, he was out at your ranch the other night.”

Lance had tried to keep that from bothering him. Pidge and Hunk had both gone home as soon as their hangovers weren't life-threatening and hadn’t said anything more about Mr. Emo Cowboy and his Lone Wolf. Why was Keith on Shiro’s ranch? Maybe Shiro and Keith…

Shiro suddenly laughed. “Pidge rope you into cow tipping? I tell that girl all the time it’s just not going to work. Even Matt has told her, but she’s stubborn. Keith was grumbling about it all weekend. Said something about knowing that blue-eyed Latin boy was going to be trouble.”

“Lance, I told him my name,” Lance muttered.

“Oh, you guys met already. I mean off from my ranch when he was trying to sick Kosmo on you.”

Okay, Lance really hadn’t wanted Shiro to know about that. “Yes, briefly, I...do you know about his and Pidge’s insurance company?”

Shiro crossed his arms but didn’t look upset when he answered. “Yeah, a lot of people in Arus believe in aliens. There are sightings all the time. Matt, Pidge’s older brother, makes me help him research about them when he hangs out.”

“Well, you see,” Lance started and scratched his cheek looking away, “I might have yelled at him thinking it was some kind of scam and I just really hate scammers.”

“Ah,” Shiro said and nodded his head. “Well, if you feel bad about it, why don’t you apologize.”

“Wh-who said I feel bad about that?” Lance asked. “I mean, I still think it’s a scam, but Pidge can cover the costs and Hunk did say he was okay with the flyers.”

“So, why don’t you apologize for the misunderstanding?” asked a voice behind Lance.

Lance turned, eyes wide seeing Keith standing there. He wasn’t in the plaid flannel and cowboy hat Lance was used to him wearing. He still had those weird boots, but his hair was tied up and looked damp and he was wearing a tight almost too short t-shirt with a leather jacket that Lance was sure he must be dying in. Lance was already sweating through the armpits of his dress shirt just standing outside talking with Shiro. It was way too hot. Keith didn’t look like he was sweating. His lips were parted slightly as he breathed, almost like panting, and god almighty did Lance not need that thought in his mind right now.

“What misunderstanding? It wasn’t a misunderstanding. My friends are just dicks,” Lance said then quickly looked around to make sure none of the students were close enough in earshot to hear him.

Keith rolled his eyes and moved up to Shiro handing him a very decorated Japanese style multi-layer lunch kit and a sack of bottled drinks. “I brought your dinner. You’re going to be late, right?”

“Thanks, Keith. And yeah, later than usual. You’ll have to bring the cows in yourself. I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow. I have to go badger some old white men into agreeing for Lance here to be my teaching assistant.”

Keith raised a brow turning to Lance. He looked Lance up and down, a very light pulling at his lips showing a smirk. “Him? I didn’t think he played soccer.”

Lance crossed his arms and hoped beyond hope Keith couldn’t see the sweat stains in his armpits. “Now listen here, Mullet. I was more of a swimmer, but I totally had my share of goals in middle school. I know the ins and outs of the game.”

A soft hum escaped those panting lips and he shared a look with Shiro. “I hope he doesn’t just end up giving you more trouble.”

Shiro laughed. “Oh, he’s been trouble before he even arrived in Arus. Lance here is our neighbor.”

Keith frowned at that. His displeasure made Lance antsy. The look was gone the next second and Keith smirked again. "I'm aware. It's going to be where I let Kaltenecker have her revenge for your little experiment the other night.”

“Hey, what does that mean?”

Keith just shrugged and reached out a gloved hand for Shiro’s shoulder. “I’ll see you at home, don’t worry too much. I’ve got everything under control.”

Shiro gave Keith a soft smile and nodded. “Get going already.”

Keith turned and waved headed back to the parking lot, but stopped and looked over his shoulder at Lance. “I think you’d be better at cross country, the way you jumped that fence. Do it again and I’ll show you Kosmo’s better.”

Lance stared after Keith for a moment surprised by the threat. Also by how nice his ass looked in those black pants. He hadn’t gotten a good look with the flannel that was actually a few sizes too big everywhere but around Keith’s shoulders and top torso.

“Wait, Kosmo’s the dog, right?”

“It’s a wolf,” Shiro said.

“Really?” Lance asked. “Isn’t that illegal.”

“It’s a hybrid wolf, and no. Besides, he’s a docile thing, Keith’s had him since he was a puppy.”

Lance stabbed the tip of his shoe into the dirt. “Soooo, have you known Keith for a long time? Does he live with you?”

Shiro nodded and walked over to a bench where he had set down a notebook. He traded it out with his lunch and started flipping through the pages. “Yeah, I’ve known him since he was born. He’s been living with me for a few years now.”

“Oh, did he live with you when you and Allura were a thing?” Lance pried.

Shiro’s eyes snapped up to Lance. “What?”

Lance waved a hand around. “Oh, you know the other teachers have mentioned that you two use to be engaged.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said and sighed. “We’ve been friends for a long time. It’s a complicated thing that I would rather not talk about here. Keith has been living with me for more than a decade. I think he was about twelve when my grandmother got custody of him and then I got custody of him while I was engaged to Allura. He’s basically my little brother.”

A weight fell from Lance’s shoulder. “So he’s not your husband.”

Shiro laughed. “No, no, he’s like my little brother. Technically, I’m not his guardian anymore, but Keith still lives with me. He takes care of the ranch my grandmother left me. I’m afraid I’m not much of a farmer.”

Lance nodded. “Right, right, neither am I. Look, we have something in common. Oh, and speaking of us, how about that water tower?”

Shiro rolled his eyes and pressed the notebook hard into Lance’s chest. “Come over this weekend and we can get you set up.”

Lance beamed and hung around a while to listen to the names of the students he would most likely be helping to coach. More names. Great.

✩

Having the school year start halfway through the week was a blessing, but did not bode well for how the rest of the year would be if Lance was already this exhausted. Still, after crashing the night before slumped half on his couch and half on the floor with paperwork and last minute lesson plans scattered all around him, Lance managed to pick himself up for a quick shower Saturday morning. Donned in a baseball tee and some pants, Lance gathered only the essentials for his stargazing research before Shiro arrived. There wouldn’t be much he could do in broad daylight, but he needed to at least map out the tower and make sure he could actually use it before bringing over the big guns. Though Pidge had made all of Lance's fancier equipment and he did get occasional help from her, he hadn't told Pidge details on his research. Honestly, Pidge probably would be a huge help with his research, but Lance wanted to do this himself.

Shiro arrived on time if not a bit early to pick Lance up and Lance was honestly surprised he wasn’t driving his usual black sports car, but a red pickup truck that showed signs of hard use. It even had a hatch on the back to tow a trailer. Lance wrinkled his nose when he climbed inside and tapped at a gathering of cherry vanilla air fresheners hanging from the rearview mirror.

“This isn’t the car you usually bring to work,” Lance said getting his bag settled on the floor at his feet after he made sure there wasn’t any hidden manure tracked in from whatever part of the ranch Shiro grabbed this truck from.

“No, I can’t drive that up to the tower. Your jeep might make it, but I didn’t want to risk you getting your car stuck in the woods. I'd have to lower your payment if you did,” Shiro said winking then shifted the truck into gear.

Lance huffed and buckled in. “You’re not going to let the house payments go, are you?”

Shiro agreed. “It’s due your first paycheck and I know when those come in,”

“It smells like a farm in here,” Lance grumbled.

“Well, the truck does spend most of its time out by the barn with stacks of hay in the bed,” Shiro explained.

“What’s with the air fresheners, I thought you’d be more of a Black Ice kind of man.”

Shiro laughed and made a sharp swerve to avoid a pothole in the road. “Oh, I am. It’s Keith’s doing. He usually drives the truck. Most of the ranch work goes to him and a few guys that come by to help out.”

Lance watched the road as they drove down the street for a mile more than Lance would consider a neighbor before they turned down a very easy to miss unpaved side road. “Really? I’ve only ever seen him with that death trap he drops Pidge off with.”

“I thought you would like the bike, Lance.”

Lance crossed his arms and shook his head back and forth. “I don’t like anything that Mullethead owns.”

Shiro hummed. “Seems you two haven’t made up yet.”

“We aren’t even fighting, we’re not even friends. Do you really live this far away? I swore your house was closer through my telescope.”

Shiro glanced and Lance with a raised brow. “Spying on us at night?”

Lance felt his face grow warm. “No! I just...I told you the direction of your house is perfect for where I’m researching, that’s all.”

“Sure, sure, but it’s not the house. All this land was owned by my family since generations ago. We keep most of it natural, like a privately owned forest. But, we’ve got quite a few acres cleared off for the cows and horses. We use to run a dairy company, but that switched over to breeding when my grandmother married. My parents were never interested in ranching and I took after them, but we’ve had some hands here and there to help.”

“Wow, you’re a pretty old family then. Is Keith like a cousin or something?” Lance asked. He was still confused about the relationship between those two. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up, but Shiro was an attractive and well-rounded guy and probably one of the few out here in Nowhere Arus, Texas, that would put up with Lance’s flirting. Allura was obviously emotionally unavailable and Lance’s boss, he wasn’t going to risk hitting that, but Shiro was a good bet. The higher-ups had even okayed them coaching together for the soccer team, so they had lots of time to get to know each other.

Shiro’s brow furrowed. “No, we aren’t related by blood at all. He was the son of a handler that worked for my grandmother. They were close friends, he was almost like another grandson to her. When...well, she took Keith in when he became an orphan and then when she passed on, I had a bit of a hard time fighting to keep him out of the system.”

“They were going to send him to the system?” Lance asked. He had known more than his fair share of kids in the foster system, usually children taken from drug ladened headed parents. Sometimes, they were just unfortunate souls whose parents couldn't trick the system.

Shiro nodded. “I had been working as a teacher for two years already and Allura was finishing her degree for counseling. She used to be one of the counselors at Arus before she got promoted. Keith was already in high school, but the courts wouldn’t approve any sort of emancipation papers so he could freely live with me. He ran away the first time they tried to take him away. I...Pidge trusts you, so you must with good with secrets, right?”

Lance glanced over at Shiro and Shiro was eyeing him. Lance swallowed. Yeah, secrets, he was super great at keeping those. “Yes. But, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with.”

“No, it's nothing that matters now, but someone untrustworthy could make a mess."

Lance chuckled. "I understand that worry."

Shiro nodded and frowned at the road. "I was never dating Allura. We were close since young because her father likes to invest in racing horses and he has bought a few horses off us, usually just for breeding. We really became closed once she started college and needed my help with her basics. Everyone else just believes we had been dancing around each other and then I proposed. We weren’t dating, but we were engaged.”

“You were fake engaged?” Lance asked.

Shiro’s face screwed up. “Mostly. I suppose for a bit it was actual dating, but I...my heart had always been somewhere else. Maybe the same place I left my arm.”

The laugh that left Shiro was bitter and Lance actually looked at Shiro’s bionic arm. It was hardly noticeable if you didn’t count the fact it was obviously robotic. It could have been a really well-done tattoo. Pidge and her brother had done a good job designing it. It must have been weird to have it, though. Like a ghost arm he could move, but not actually feel.

Shiro continued. “I guess the courts had questions leaving an out gay teenager with an adult male not much older than them with questionable sexuality. No one else could take care of him, though. I wouldn’t call myself straight and neither would Allura, but the court liked the idea of us being together enough to pass Keith’s guardianship to me. A couple months after the papers were finalized, Allura and I broke up.”

Lance’s mind whirled. “That’s a lot of information.”

“You don’t have to think about it too much, but all my friends know. Hunk’s a good guy and I’ve known Pidge since she was born. If they think you’re cool then you’re my friend now, too, Lance,” Shiro said and reached out a hand to squeeze Lance’s shoulder. "I'm already going to be counting on you out on the field."

Lance’s neck felt warm at the contact. They were friends. That was a start and Lance had gotten use to enjoying the friend zone through his high school years. Wouldn’t stop him from flirting, but he could deal.

Shiro suddenly turned from the unpaved road onto plain dirt swerving through a cleared out path until the water tower was in clear view. It looked a little more rickety than Lance thought from his rooftop, but it would stand, he hoped. They got out of the car and Shiro knocked his bionic arm against the bottom supports before grinning at Lance.

“It’s still sturdy. There isn’t any water in it, we have a different water system now. I’m surprised Pidge hasn’t already turned it into her own clubhouse for cryptid hunting, but I suppose they have Keith’s room for that.”

“Can I go ahead and climb up?” Lance asked.

“Sure, I’ll stay down here just encase,” Shiro said.

Lance shouldered his bag and moved through the cylindrical shaped ladder hooked to one of the supports and began his climb up. The metal didn’t creak much and it was more paint chipping away than rust giving the water tower an old look. It was only when he reached to balcony circling the water tank that he could actually feel the tower give here and there as he stepped, but the supports on the balcony were still good. He went to the door that would lead inside the tower. The latch gave way with a slight pull and Lance wrinkled his nose at the old water scent that rushed out to greet him. If he could stick a fan up here this would make a great set up for the heavier monitoring equipment, but the hot weather would wreck him even at night, he’d done his research about Texas seasons. At least it wouldn’t be as cold as Detroit in winter. He would have to do most of his monitoring manually until he could afford to splurge on a good generator. He didn’t think Shiro would let him run cables this far out and he definitely didn’t see any electricity poles close by.

“Is it alright? Lance!”

Shiro’s call was faint all the way up here, but Lance exited the water tower and leaned over the balcony to give Shiro a thumbs up. When Shiro seemed satisfied, Lance dug out a small hand telescope from his bag and began searching the area to make sure the scene was clear. He would have a better look at night, but Lance already knew he would have to spend some money getting this place lit up properly. He was glad the trees didn’t get very tall in this part of Texas. As he walked around the balcony, he caught sight of a figure on the back of a chestnut colored horse with a large fluffy dog chasing after him. He was running the horse around a few hay bales and jumping over short fences made out of sticks low enough for the wolf to jump them, too. Lance pulled the telescope away and let out a short laugh.

“Hey, isn’t Mullet Head suppose to be working on the ranch, not playing?” Lance called down.

“What was that?” Shiro yelled back.

Lance shook his head and smiled. It didn’t matter. He could just use it against Keith later.

It was a while later that Lance finally decided he had a good layout of the tower and began his descent down. Shiro greeted him at the bottom looking a bit sweaty. Lance felt sweaty, too, but there had been a breeze up top.

“Get what you needed?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, it’s going to work great. Thanks a lot, Shiro.”

“Anytime,” Shiro said and clapped Lance on the back. “Let’s get back in the truck where there’s A/C and I’ll take you to the house. You can have your first taste of southern ice tea. It’s chock-full of sugar and lemon slices.”

Shiro drove them through the trees again until they came to a dirt drive that wound between fenced pastures and finally up to the back of a large white house. Lance could see the patches of it that had been rebuilt over the years. It was definitely an old house with a wrap around porch and a rocking chair in the front. Parts of the white paint were flaking to reveal brown and Lance figured it was due for a new paint job soon, hopefully professionally done. But, Lance quite liked it. Inside was oddly modern and minimalistic, but he could see what a little old Asian grandmother might have left behind in things like the lace curtains over the kitchen windows and the doilies cover surfaces every which way, one of which housed a Japanese tea set on a glass shelf. Lance noticed it as they entered from the back french doors. The television was on in the living room across the hall and Lance peeked over to see what was on while Shiro went to the shiny stainless steel fridge set into a nook in the wall of the kitchen.

There was a figure sitting on the floor of the living room in front of a rather small flat screen television. Their hair was a not quite brown color with weird goggles holding back their bangs. A laptop sat to the side plugged into the television which was playing a cartoon with robots. Pidge turned and squinted at Lance before going a bit red.

"Pidge?"

“Lance!”

Shiro popped up with a cookie sheet acting as a tray where he balanced a pitcher of tea and a stack of red solo cups. “Oh, you’re here already?”

“Keith takes forever to get ready,” Pidge whined glancing between Lance and Shiro with a frown. “What’s Lance doing here?”

Lance crossed his arms. “That’s a really nice way of greeting your friend, Pidge. Besides, I’m the neighbor and a co-worker, I can be here if I want.”

“I was showing Lance around. It might be useful for him to know how to get here encase he ends up with a horse in his backyard,” Shiro said and walked into the living room placing the tray on the coffee table. He started pouring a glass for Pidge, but she denied it. He handed it to Lance instead and poured himself a glass sipping it happily.

“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Lance asked and lifted the glass to his lips only to feel a shiver run down his body. Too sweet and too sour. He didn’t understand how that could happen.

Pidge had a smug smile on her face watching Lance’s expression. “I’m the sister of his childhood friend. Also, I’m going cryptid hunting with Keith.” Her smug face shifted into a frown as she turned back to face the television.

“Aww, going on a little monster hunting date with the emo cowboy?” Lance teased.

“Lance,” Shiro deadpanned.

Lance just shrugged.

Pidge scoffed. “It’s not a date. Keith’s hella gay and I’m hella not interested. But, maybe I’d be more likely to get a date out of him than you would Mr. Kosmo’s Next Meal.”

“I heard gay and Kosmo. My dog is a dog, he humps everything,” said a voice entering from the front door.

Lance choked on his next sip of the tea and was thankful for the excuse to put it down without looking rude. When he looked up, he was choking again. Keith stood in the doorframe fanning himself with that ridiculous black cowboy hat, eyes closed softly. His red plaid shirt was undone a few buttons revealing trails of sweat running down a defined pale color bone. How the fuck was this guy not tanned or sunburnt? What kind of magical witcraft suntan lotion did he use?

“Lance is here,” Pidge said in a greeting.

Keith opened his eyes and met Lance’s. A bit of red blossomed across his cheeks and he quickly placed the hat back on his head before ducking inside and hurrying past them all.

“I’ll have to take a shower first, Pidge,” Keith said hurrying past Shiro to the hall, he slowed down when he past Lance. “Oh, and...hi Lance.”

Lance felt a shiver run down his spine at the quiet greeting and wished he was still holding his glass to cover his face with. He could feel a pair of curious eyes on him and a pair of smug ones. Lance turned to Pidge and glared at her. Shiro’s phone suddenly went off breaking their staring contest.

“It’s your brother,” Shiro said looking to Pidge.

Pidge raised a brow, but Shiro didn’t say anything more as he answered the phone and moved off down the hall. Lance turned to Pidge curiously but Pidge only shrugged though she looked a bit worried.

“Can’t believe you actually took another sip of that poison,” Pidge said.

Lance moved to one of the fake brown leather couches circling the television Pidge ignored. One of the cushions had claw marks ripped into it. “I can’t believe you let me drink that stuff. How does Shiro?”

“Shiro’s the one that made it,” Pidge said. “He can’t cook for shit. Keith barely keeps them both alive. Thank god Hunk moved here and taught Keith a few more recipes.”

Lance frowned. “Hunk never told me about Keith.” Lance found it odd since he had known about Pidge, but that was more to do with Pidge and Hunk going to school together.

“I’m not surprised. Keith barely leaves the ranch. I didn’t even introduce them until Hunk set up shop in Arus last year,” Pidge said.

Lance hummed and tapped his foot as he blindly watched the cartoon Pidge had on. “Oh, where is Keith’s dog?”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Pidge said then ducked down just as a hundred pounds of fluff pounced on Lance.

Lance groaned as the dog got situated on him acting more like a large cat as it made itself comfortable. Reaching out tentatively, Lance slowly began to pet the dog’s fur. The dog bristled at first before setting down and beginning to pant happily. “He’s really soft.”

“He’s a good boy,” Pidge said. “A lot like his owner, really.”

“What, scary and could rip your head off, but is actually a big pile of fluff?” Lance kind of liked the dog now that it wasn’t chasing him down. It was really soft.

“Yes,” Pidge deadpanned staring at the television screen, “but with more knives.”

“Knives?” Lance squeaked.

Pidge didn’t respond and Lance fell into a trance petting the large dog on his lap and watching the colors moving around on the television screen. He wasn’t sure how long it was before Shiro appeared back in the living room. He had a change of clothes and was stuffing his wallet into his back pocket.

“Matt’s having an episode,” Shiro said.

“A bad one?” Pidge asked.

“Yes, I’m going over to his apartment right now and I’ll be staying the night. Did you want to come?”

Pidge shook her head. “You’ll do a lot more for him than I can. I’ll just stay here with Keith.”

Shiro nodded then looked surprised when his eyes landed on Lance. “Oh, Lance, I’m sorry I have to duck out like this. You seem comfy, but I can drive you home now if you want.”

Lance frowned. Shiro was headed out just like that? He wasn’t sure what kind of episode Pidge’s brother was having, but it must have been important enough for Shiro to be out of here so quick even with a guest in his house which maybe Lance didn’t count as a guest considering he was already friends with half of Shiro’s friends and the man had called him a friend already. Matt was a friend, too, but he was obviously much more of an important friend than Lance.

It was fine.

“If you don’t mind, I can just hang out with Pidge,” Lance said.

Shiro nodded and hurried to the door yelling goodbye to someone in the hallway as he went out the back. Keith appeared around the corner in roughed up skinny jeans and a black tank top that looked like it used to be a t-shirt with some band logo on it. A towel was wrapped around his hair. He looked surprised to see Lance still here, too, but he smiled seeing Kosmo sprawled across Lance’s lap.

“I see Kosmo’s found a new bed,” Keith said.

The dog looked up hearing Keith’s voice, ears perking, and it began to wag its tail, the fluffy appendage slapping Lance in the face. He held up a hand to block it.

“Yeah, he’ll be a perfect blanket in the winter, but right now he’s this close to giving me whiplash.”

Keith chuckled, a fisted hand lifting to his lips as if to hide it. It was such a soft sound. Lance had to take a minute to burn it into his mind. He hadn’t pictured someone like Keith laughing before. The dog eventually had enough of terrorizing Lance now that his owner was out of the shower and jumped off Lance barely missing the family jewels. Keith caught the dog easily as it stretched itself up in a human-like hug. It was as tall as Keith stretched out like that.

“You know, I’m not going to be going home until like two in the morning,” Pidge said. “Also, I didn’t drive myself, Keith picked me up.”

There was a soft purr as a car drove out of the yard and Lance’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

“Um, you should come with us,” Keith said. “We’re going cryptid hunting in Mr. Lopez’s backyard. He says he saw a chupacabra last week.”

Lance shook his head. “No, I’m not really dressed for traipsing around someone’s backyard. Plus, I've got work I need to finish first week of school and all.”

“I can take you home before we leave. I’ll take the pickup,” Keith offered.

Lance glanced over at Keith. He stood there looking like a badass. He owned a motorcycle, owned a wolf, could chase down a grown man on a horse, but he also had a pink flush to his cheeks and dark eyes that Lance didn’t know the color of. And he looked at Lance with his head cutely tilted as he continued to hug his dog.

With a smile, Lance nodded. “Yeah, that would be really cool of you, Keith. Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for comments, kudos, and love. <3


	4. "I Use To Love September,..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update September 27th
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^.^

**4\. “I Use To Love September, …”**

“Mr. McClain, Nina’s drawing dirty stuff!” one of the boy students in the front row yelled.

Lance looked up from grading papers to frown at his last class of the day. He had already finished his lesson on pollution and recycling and some of the less fun lessons that the students would need to pass their state tests at the end of the year. He had asked if it would be alright to go out of order in the textbooks and when he explained his order to the other fifth grade science teacher, she had agreed to do the same. Also, because it was the beginning of the semester, Lance had been very artistic and in-class project heavy. When it came to pollution, he expected there to be dirty stuff on the student’s papers. Still, he stood and walked around the class to look at the girl’s drawing.

Nina hunched over her drawing, cheeks pink as glared at the boy beside her. Lance sighed and hunched down to be eye level with her and tapped the corner of her desk grinning. “Let’s see what you have so far, Nina.”

“I already turned in my drawing, Mr. McClain,” the girl said.

“Oh? Then this is free time drawing?”

She nodded. Lance leaned farther down keeping his voice sweet and curious.

“I’m sure it’s a good drawing, can I see it?”

The girl sighed. A fifth grader was a little old to be tricked like this, but they were also old enough to know what the trick was trying to get out of them. She moved away from her desk and let Lance see the piece of paper. Lance only needed a glance to know the little tattle tale beside her needed to mind his own business.

“Lalo,” Lance said standing back up and glanced at the boy, “how is your drawing coming?”

The boy’s eyes widened and he turned away. “I’m almost done!”

Lies. Lance could see there wasn’t even coloring on the paper. He looked at his watch then up at the clock in the back of the room then back to the girl and smiled.

“Do you want more paper?”

The girl shook her head but smiled back.

Lance walked back to his desk. Nina was a very good artist. And breasts were a very natural part of a lady. Wonder Woman was a wonderful hero for a young girl to look up to. Even if the said young girl had yet to really understand how breasts worked in anatomy. Lance wasn’t going to fault her for that.

When class was over, Lance headed to the nearest breakroom. His body felt as laggy as the old computer they had set up in his room and his brain felt dimmer than the lightbulb in the projector he had stored in the back of the classroom. Instead, he hooked his own personal projector up to his laptop to use for presentations. Sure it was two-something in the afternoon, but Lance was ready for a badly brewed cup of coffee, cold or hot, he could care less. He was supposed to shadow Shiro today so he couldn’t catch a cup of that special brew Hunk made until it was dark and then coffee wouldn't do him any good.

Unusually, there was staff inside the room and Lance brightened up seeing Allura laughing and talking with someone. Lance was startled and paused seeing who exactly Allura was talking to. He felt like he had seen the person before, but in the same way he had seen Tyler Hoechlin or Chris Hemsworth. He looked like he would be the type to know such men in real life, though. Lean, but strong and tall with flowing white hair and features worthy of a spot as an extra in the Rivendell scenes in Lord of the Rings. They both looked up when Lance entered.

“Oh, Lance,” Allura said, her smile going from bright to soft as she gestured at the man she had been talking to. “Come for a late coffee?”

Lance moved over to the coffee pot and pulled out a styrofoam cup waving it at Allura. “You know it, princess.”

“Princess?” the man said with a raised perfectly trimmed white brow.

Allura waved a hand at Lance. “He’s McClain, Shirogane’s assistant coach, and our fifth-grade science teacher. He’s made friends with everyone quite nicely. I don’t mind the little nickname, makes me feel pretty.”

The man hummed. “Well, it is a very fitting name, Miss Altea.”

Allura blushed. Blushed! Who was this man? Lance almost missed his cup pouring the last bit of coffee into it watching them flirt in front of him.

The vice principal seemed to catch Lance staring and straightened up. “O-oh, right. Lance, this is Lotor Daibazaal. He is the founder of the Sincline group. He's also on the school board and a prominent member of Arus’s community. .”

“By that she means I tend to be the one everyone goes to for money when something is needed to be built, but it is something I happily assist with,” Lotor said and held out a hand to Lance.

It took Lance a moment to coordinate which hand he wanted to use, but eventually he reached out and shook it. Rich guy, right, Lance checked that mark and added Lotor to the list of people he should be careful about pissing off. “Cool, for a small place like Arus, a guy like you is certainly needed. I assume you help out Altea as well?”

“Certainly, but less so as I live here in Arus unlike most of the teachers. The board sort of has to or at least have children going here.”

“Yeah, there aren’t many people in Arus, I see why a lot of the teachers live in Altea or Balmera on the other side,” Lance said.

There was a silent buzz in the room then. Lance leaned against the counter and sipped his cold gross coffee trying to ignore the force polite eye twitch this Lotor guy was giving him as a sign that he would very much like Lance to leave so he could go back to flirting with Allura. Lance knew flirting. Lance loved to flirt. He flirted with Allura though on a much more business safe degree than he would have if she wasn’t his boss. He flirted with Shiro. Hell, he flirted with the other science teacher just because it made the old lady laugh and old lady laughs were pure. But if this was Allura’s type, well the only type Lance could call this was rich. He was good looking, but so was Lance and so was Shiro. And Shiro had inherited money with all that land. Lance didn’t have money and that was fine.

Okay, maybe he was just bitter because his coffee was cold, his land payment was due next week, and the only two prospects he saw in getting a relationship and settling down like Hunk had were both emotionally unavailable. He was allowed to be petty.

A vibration in Lance’s slacks made him frown. Of course the world wouldn’t allow Lance his own pity party. He sighed and excused himself from the breakroom to find the back corner of the middle school building where it was shady all day and everyone knew the teachers who smoked and vaped went to get their fix between classes. It was close to the cafeteria, so the smell of food covered up most of the smoke smell. Lance still didn’t appreciate the smell that lingered after the two had mixed for the day. But, it was the only place Lance felt safe getting away with a phone call. Lance quickly pulled his phone out and answered.

“Hey, Mama McClain, what’s up?” Lance asked and scuffed the concrete floor with his shoe.

“Oh, _mijo_ , you’re at work right now, right? I don’t mean to bother you, but you never sent me a schedule or any update really. You’ve been there almost a whole month now.”

Lance leaned back against the wall frowning at the way the brick scratched into his shirt, but he sighed anyways and tried to relax. “It’s been busy. I’ve had a hel...horrible time getting set up. It’s so hot here.”

“ _mijo_ , you’re Cuban and you spend summers in Florida. You can handle some heat.”

“I’m not close enough to the ocean for it to be anything like Cuba or Florida. Mexico’s only a few hours away, but the ocean is farther than that.”

Mrs. McClain sighed over the phone line. “I don’t like you being that close to the border, Lance.”

“Yeah, I know, but at least people actually want me to speak Spanish here.”

“Aye, _dios mio_ , Lance. Alright, well, how about everything else? Find a girl to start dating yet?”

“Ma,” Lance groaned.

“Or...boy...I guess,” Mrs. McClain added.

“Nope, no one yet. It’s a small town, everyone kind of has someone or has a story, you know. Maybe I’ll visit Altea soon. How’s Papa McClain?”

Mrs. McClain scoffed. “Oh, you know, ignoring the fact we now have two broken lawn mowers in the backyard so the grass has grown to the point that the housing people are going to fine us soon.” Her voice grew louder, but also farther away as she talked.

Lance laughed. “Alright there Mama bear, calm down. I’m still at work, so I’m going to have to go. I promise to give you an update, alright? Love you, tell the little ones as soon as I can get my tush over the border, I’ll bring them back all the yummy Mexican candy they can stomach.”

Mrs. McClain started to warn him again, but Lance quickly hung up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before folding over on himself, hand on his knees and head hanging low as his stomach twisted and turned.

Lance McClain. Lance McClain. Lance McClain.

He held up his hand still clutching his phone and fist bumped the air a couple times before standing straight.

Right. That’s who he was. And now it was time to go be Coach McClain.

☆

Lance was thankful for weekends. They wouldn’t all be free now that he was helping Shiro with soccer, but they were there and Lance was thankful for them. There were a lot more shitty jobs he could have taken up that didn’t know the point of weekends. Shiro seemed to be one of those people that didn't understand weekends. He had said Lance could bring over equipment on Saturday only to text him that he wouldn’t be there to help because he had to deliver one of the young cows to a new farm in El Paso. That was fucking half a days drive away! Hunk was working the cafe and Pidge was, well Pidge had sent a do not disturb text and Lance had never wanted to ask her what those meant even when he lived in Michigan. Still, Lance filled up his jeep with some of the heavier equipment Pidge had worked her magic on and traveled the couple miles down the road to the little trail in the woody backyard of Takeshi Shirogane’s ranch.

Fuck, Texas was hot.

Before even trying to hook up some sort of pulley system to help get his equipment up, Lance had stripped down to just a tank top and his jeans feeling sweat already coating his skin. It took a good thirty minutes just to get some simple rigs set up and Lance could already see this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe he could text Shiro and see if it was okay to leave some of this stuff in his garage until the man got back and could help him. Or until he could get Hunk to help. Honestly, he might need both. Lance was glad Pidge had at least had the foresight to put the equipment in peanut stuffed crates when he told her he was using Shiro's water tower. He also thanked the heavens that he had been in boy scouts long enough to have learned how to get a good knot on the box before he rushed up the ladder and started to pull.

Lance’s muscles ached when he got the third box up, each getting bigger and bigger. He had a slim waist no matter how much he ate, just part of his metabolism, but he wasn’t the long gangly thing he use to be in high school. Manual labor wasn’t an effort usually, but Texas was hot and Lance was pulling these boxes hundreds of feet into the air. He was definitely breaking thousands of laws right now, but Shiro wasn’t going to tell on him so all Lance had to do was not mess up. Of course, thinking that only screwed him. Lance wasn’t even pulling at the ropes. It was his own idiocy and not a fault in simple machine design that had him tripping over his feet, heavy box in arms close to the railing. He barely noticed it was no longer in his arms when he pushed himself up from the metal floor of the balcony. He hurried to the edge just in time to see Keith roll by on the pickup pulling a trailer with a load of hay. The box made a clanging sound as it flopped into the hay. There was definitely something broken, but at least it hadn’t hit the ground first.

“Shit, fuck!” Lance yelled and quickly scrambled down the ladder.

Keith was already in the bed of the truck digging the box out. He looked up at Lance when Lance emerged from the ladder. Keith stood straight and placed his hands on his hips frowning.

“Shiro said you might drop by from time to time, I didn’t think you would literally be dropping, though,” Keith said.

“Ha ha emo cowboy has jokes." Lance jumped up on the bed of the truck and grabbed the box trying to lift it. He shook it a little to see if anything inside was broken. There was definitely something at least loose.

“Is that a Pidge invention? I could try my hand at fixing it, but I don’t know if it will still work. You shouldn’t be using a pulley system for something that high up at least not one you can use on your own.”

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that’s obvious, but your bro had a change of plans so I'm here to set up myself. There’s going to be a great view of Jupiter next week and I need to document it.”

“Jupiter? Oh, you’re building an observatory.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Lance said and started towards the end of the bed so he could jump down, the box still in arms.

A hand jutted out and grabbed him back. “Don’t be an idiot. Put the box down and I’ll hand it to you.”

Lance peeked over the truck bed. It was pretty high off the ground. “Right.”

“How many more boxes do you have?” Keith asked as he handed Lance the box.

Lance wobbled as he made his way towards the last of his pile and made a show of hands directing Keith’s attention to them. “Just the biggest ones.” Perhaps it was a bad idea to start with the smaller ones, Lance’s legs felt like lead, but he was almost done. There were fewer big boxes.

Keith’s brows were still furrowed. Was he pissed? It wasn’t like Lance broke his trailer so there wasn’t anything to be pissed about. Okay, maybe if the box had fallen a few seconds earlier there could have been the slight risk of it falling onto the hood of the truck and, yeah, Lance didn’t want to be responsible for the head damage that could cause to Shiro’s basically younger brother figure.

“There’s a crane,” Keith finally said.

“A crane? I don’t know how to use a crane.”

Keith tilted his head to the side. His brows were still furrowed. Was that just his resting face? “I know how to use a crane.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Oh, well good for you Mr. Farmboy. How does that help me?”

Keith’s brows lifted and he blinked a few times. He actually had really big eyes and some pretty thick lashes, thick eyebrows. Really expresses. Wait, oh, maybe Lance should put down he was multilingual instead of just bilingual, but then he wouldn’t be able to make as many jokes. Eyebrow reading should count as a third language.

“Are you offering to help me?” Lance asked.

“Yeah,” Keith said then looked around at the trees. “Do you know how to milk a cow?”

It was Lance’s turn to furrowed his brows. He wished Keith was looking at him again so he could read his eyebrows and know what the fuck he was getting at with this conversation. “Actually, yeah I do.”

Keith turned back to Lance and was beaming. Lance felt like someone had just turned on a 1,000 watt light bulb, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. That wasn’t the expression he would have expected from someone who had that outlaw cowboy look going. Honestly, without the hat and a utility belt around his waist, Keith didn’t really look like a cowboy at all. His pants were black and fashionably torn and he seemed to only own one color of plaid.

“Good,” Keith said and jumped down from the trailer just like he had told Lance not to. He walked over to Lance and removed his cowboy hat. He had two little bits of hair poking up from the otherwise mess of an overgrown mullet. He handed the hat to Lance. “We’ll get you set up and then you can help me with the chores.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lance said taking the hat.

Keith smiled again and went to the pickup driving away. Lance blinked watching after him for a few minutes.

Chores. Lance didn’t come here to work!

The crane ended up being a huge help. Lance had thought it might take him all afternoon to unpack the boxes he’d brought, but with Keith’s help, it was still bright in the day when Lance was satisfied enough to agree to the chores Keith still had on his list.

“Next time, just ask for help,” Keith said sliding into Lance’s jeep so they could take it down the path to the barn now wearing his hat again.

“I didn’t even know there was anyone home,” Lance said.

“I’m always here or at the insurance company. I’m the only one here today, you’re lucky I came by when I did.”

Lance raised a brow. “Is that why you want me to help?”

Keith was staring out the window. He didn’t answer, but the trip to the barn didn’t take as long in a car and Keith was the first out headed straight to the barn. Lance followed catching a silver bucket that Keith threw it over to him. It fumbled in Lance’s arms, but he managed not to fall or drop it. One of the stalls in the barn contained a black and white cow mindlessly nibbling hay. It looked up at Keith and Lance as they approached.

“Oh, I remember this girl. Hey there, Kalttlnecker,” Lance greeted and reached in to pet the cow’s rump.

The cow humphed a greeting back.

“She likes you,” Keith said and opened the gate pulling Kattlenecker out and into more space. “That should make this easier.”

“You’re really going to make me milk the cows?” Lance asked.

Keith pulled up a small stool and tied the cow to a post. “Just this one. We don’t have many cattle, we do more horses. This girl is the only one still producing milk.”

“I see,” Lance said and made to pull up his sleeves still only wearing a tank top. He grinned at the cow and was gentle as he petted her before taking a seat. “Well, let’s get this show on the road then. It has been a while, so sorry if I’m a bit rusty, girl.”

“I can show you first if...oh, that was quick,” Keith said.

Lance had his hand on the pink dangly bits pulling and squeezing as warm thick liquid shot out. It was gross, Lance had always thought it was gross, but it was natural, so he had quickly gotten over milking the first time he had tried. And it would be a lie to say it might have come in use once or twice in a few hookups over the years in college particularly with that one girl who had recently had a kid. That had been weird and Lance had left as politely as possible afterward even though he had been trying for weeks to get that girl’s number.

Keith leaned against a nearby railing watching. “You’re actually quite good. I didn’t believe when you said yes.”

Lance tossed Keith a grin. “Well, this city boy isn’t all city. I even know a few tricks.”

"Really?" Keith asked sounding doubtful.

"Yeah, I'll show you." Lance looked around the barn but couldn't find anything to aim at so he just gently turned one of the udders towards Keith and squeezed.

Keith easily dodged it and watched the milk splash against a post. "Wow, what a sharpshooter."

Lance frowned. "Well, it was impressive enough for teenage boys back in the day."

"A few simple milk tricks don't get you a boyfriend," Keith said and moved around the barn cleaning up, shoveling some hay here and there.

"I guess not. I thought you had workers, though, why are you the only one here?" Lance asked.

“The other ranch hands tend to quit often or avoid weekends when I’ll be around a lot. They always end up trying to challenge me to a race and get pissed when I beat them, or some other competition. A lot of them just need a job because they couldn’t get into college and then, well, I can’t help it if I know things and how they should work and don’t want them to do it wrong. I’m not great with people.”

“Oh, that I definitely noticed,” Lance said and caught Keith’s short glare with a wink.

Keith rolled his eyes and entered a stall cleaning it. “Most of the time, Shiro fires them for stuff they say. He’ll ignore them if it’s about him since he’s a teacher and doesn’t want to cause trouble, but if it’s about me, well, I don’t flaunt it, but I don’t hide I’m gay.”

Lance paused. “I’m pretty sure three different people have told me your sexuality in passing conversation. Glad to know they weren’t breaking any kind of unknown rule.”

Keith shrugged again.

“I’m bi, by the way,” Lance added.

Keith let out a scoffed laugh. “Yeah, like I didn’t guess something along those lines from the stories Hunk and Pidge tell me about you.”

“Huh, I guess that’s kind of hard to hide if you're also friends with them. I like to share my feelings.”

“Loverboy Lance, they called you,” Keith said. "A lover boy who can milk a cow."

Lance reddened a bit at that.

When Kaltenecker was feeling a bit dry, Lance removed his hands but didn’t get up right away.

“It was a punishment. Hunk was on vacation with his family that summer. I almost failed eighth grade, so I was sent to a cousin’s farm in Wisconsin. They had a dairy farm. Typical, right? I learned how to milk cows there. Glad I remembered.”

“I’m glad you remembered, too,” Keith said and wiped his hands on his pants after coming out of the stall. “Let’s go, bring the bucket.”

Lance followed after Keith as they walked toward a different barn much larger than the first. He could see saddles set up outside. Around the corner was a small enclosed area with a strange device. Keith opened a lid on it.

“Pour it in,” Keith said.

Lance did so without question curious what it did. Keith flicked a few notches and the machine came to life.

“We’ll have to leave that for a while. Do you want to see the horses? You never got a good look at the ranch last time, right?”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Lance said feeling giddy. “Let’s meet that big red horse I see you riding.”

Keith flicked his head in the direction of the stable doors and Lance followed in. Unlike with the cow stable, the horses had a much larger facility with some actual up to date machinery.

“This is where most of the hands work when they do come in. Shiro actually has a decent interest in horses, so that’s why the ranch has sort of turned over to horse breeding instead,” Keith explained and grabbed a small bucket of oats holding it out as they passed each horse telling Lance their names and their breeds and other stuff Lance only half kept up with.

At the end of the stables, there were three larger slots. Lance immediately recognized the red horse that he always saw Keith riding, but there was an even larger pure black horse in the stall next to it. Across from them was a gray horse that whinnied at Lance. He walked up to it and held out a hand. The horse instantly nuzzled into it.

“I like this one,” Lance said.

“That’s Blue,” Keith introduced. “She’s a good mare. Shiro bought her for Allura when they were engaged. She had been wanting a horse for years so he thought it would look good. Allura still comes by to ride her sometimes.”

The feel of the mare’s lips on his palm tickled and Lance turned to Keith with a smile. “Can I feed her?”

Keith shrugged. “I’m not going to keep you from feeding a pregnant horse.” He dumped some oats in Lance’s outstretched hand.

The horse immediately went back to nibbling at Lance’s hand and Lance moved his free one to pet her neck. “She’s a good strong horse. Who is the dad?”

“I don’t know. Probably Black or Red. She’s not a horse set aside for breeding so we don’t keep an eye on that.”

Lance glared at Keith. “I’m all up for free horse love and stuff, but are all the horses here really named after colors?”

Keith moved to put the oat bucket back. “You just noticed that?”

“I guess I should have guessed after the pony was named Olive, but I was hoping that was a Popeye reference,” Lance said wiping his now slobbery hand on his pants.

“Green was a bit much, so Pidge named him Olive. She likes green.”

Lance sighed. Well, what could he have expected from someone with a dog named Kosmo? “Don’t happen to have a gold do you? Hunk loves yellow.”

“We’ve got an El Dorado,” Keith answered.

Lance raised a brow then laughed. “Yeah, okay, that’s pretty good actually. At least they’re not direct colors.”

Keith let out a small soft scoff and Lance barely caught his smile as he fidgeted with horse equipment. His attention was pulled away by a collection of saddles and he looked from them to Keith and back again.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance called slowly.

Keith lifted his head and a brow, suspicion already in his voice. “Yes?”

“So, like, I’ve ridden a horse before, it’s been a while, but like I know Hunk has gotten to ride them, maybe not yours, but he did tell me about a time he went on a horseback riding trail with Shay. I was kind of thinking maybe I could have a taste of that experience with one of these beauties here.”

Keith blinked then turned. For a second, Lance thought he was ignoring Lance until Lance saw him pull off two saddles, a black one with red designs and an off white one with black. He went up to Lance and placed both saddles in his arms, face blank as he leaned in using his weight and the weight of the saddles to make Lance bend. Then, he grinned, dark eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Did you think I wasn’t going to put you on a horse today, McClain?” Keith asked then turned and gesture Lance to follow. They moved to Red’s stall.

“Uh, so which horse am I taking? I’d like Blue, but I get the feeling, being pregnant and all, that it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“You’re right,” Keith said. “Allura’s fine, she doesn’t gallop, but I get the feeling you’re either gentle or all speed.”

Lance had to literally bite his tongue to keep from telling Keith he could show him just how right he was about that. He had learned how to read ques when it came to flirting better over the years and what he had learned of Keith just in that day proved he either would ignore it or it would make him uncomfortable. This, right now, was kind of nice and he actually was totally excited to go horse riding with a cute boy even if it was totally platonic.

“So, are we both riding your horse then?” Lance asked and wished he had bit his tongue a second time as Keith stiffened up. Shit yeah, he’d be okay with wrapping his arms around another guy as they rode off across a field into the sunset, but that wasn’t what he meant.

Keith’s response was soft, but not bothered. “Um, no. You’ll ride Red and I’ll take Black. Black only lets Shiro and I ride him, but Red will do what I tell him. Just don’t mess around too much with him.”

"Wait, I’m taking your horse!”

“Yeah, I can trust you with him, can’t I?” Keith asked and took the black saddle from Lance’s arms having already fitted Red with the rest of his gear.

Oh. “Uh, yeah, yeah you can.”

Keith smiled. “Good.”

It took Lance a good ten minutes to remember how to ride a horse, but they were off soon after Lance got the hang of it, dashing around Keith on Black in a couple circles before the large black horse gave out an agitated sound that had Red stopping mid-dash and almost dismounting Lance. He followed behind Keith almost jealous of his cowboy hat when the red glow of the lowering afternoon sun burned into his face. They passed the cattle where Lance finally caught sight of Kosmo for the first time that day darting off between wandering cows. They continued on into the trees and past more fields, a few that looked as if the wilderness was beginning to take them back. Lance didn’t bother asking where Keith was taking him. If he wanted to kill Lance, it would be too obvious who the first suspect would be and he didn’t know of any reason Keith had. They were cool right now.

Well, actually Lance was burning up, sweat collecting on his skin again. He wished he could go swimming in the large lake he saw up ahead, but it was probably full of algae and alligators. A lake Keith was leading them straight to. Keith stopped a few yards short and jumped off Black not bothering to tie the horse up as he removed his hat and took a hidden band from beneath his gloves to tie up his hair and it was such a shame such a terrible hairstyle could look so good pulled up like that.

“Ready to swim, city boy?” Keith asked.

“Woah, woah, woah, in there?” Lance asked.

“What, too disgusting for you?” Keith rolled his eyes and started undoing the buttons on his flannel.

Lance scurried off Red and stumbled over to Keith grabbing his hands to stop him from undressing. Keith looked at him surprised.

“One,” Lance said, “I’m sure the city pools are way nastier than this stuff, but I’m not about to get my cute butt bitten off by an alligator. Two, I don’t have swim clothes.”

Keith eyed Lance then pushed him away continuing to undo his shirt. “One, this is a man-made lake. It’s basically a swimming pool. It’s clear enough to see into and has a cleaning system installed as part of a project Matt built in college. Yeah, I would say it was cleaner than a city pool. Two,” and Keith finally pulled the shirt off revealing all his pale chested glory, smirking at Lance, “I didn’t bring any either.”

Then his hands went to his pants. His pants! Keith turned around before he pulled them down along with boxers, walking towards the lake as he did and Lance got a clear, though, quick view, of a very round and pert ass before Keith jumped into the lake.

“We’re skinny dipping!” Lance squeaked.

Keith dunked his whole body into the water then emerged a few feet away. He threw his head back and combed through his dark hair now inky black. One hand slid to his neck then he turned his head and raised a brow at Lance.

“Are you coming or not?” Keith called.

Lance held out his hands, mouth moving, but words not coming out. A laugh escaped Keith and he sank back into the water wading backward. Lance sighed and went for his belt buckle. It wasn’t as if he hadn't gone skinny dipping before, but that was with a girl and he regretted it real quick feeling the slimy texture of the water in a neighbor’s pool long overdue for a cleaning.

Keith was turned away when Lance finally finished undressing and he waded in slowly, an idea popping up in his mind as he approached Keith. Just before he could reach out, Keith disappeared under the water. Though the water was indeed clean, it was no beach blue clear. Lance barely made out Keith darting behind him as a blur of pale skin before he was suddenly grabbed and pulled under. He closed his eyes, but not his mouth as he gasped. He came back up choking and wiped his mouth scanning the lake for Keith. The other man was grinning as he waded away from Lance.

“You could have drowned me!”

Keith stood and crossed his arms. “You were going to do it to me.”

Okay, yeah, that was true. “You could have told me you knew I was there.”

“And ruin your fun?” Keith shrugged. “I figured maybe you were shy about getting naked. I was trying to give you privacy until you got in the water.”

Lance placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. He didn’t have natural muscle like Keith seemed to working on the ranch for so many years, but he had worked his body and he still looked pretty good even if he was in need of a new workout schedule now that the school year had started. “I’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Dark eyes scanned Lance up and down and Lance swore they stayed on the line of water at his hip just a few seconds longer before they met back with Lance’s. Keith smirked and maybe his cheeks were a little red, but that might just be from the heat. “No, you don’t, Lance.”

Well shit, if that didn’t just add to Lance’s ego. Keith might be an emo cowboy, but he was a hot emo cowboy. “That’s...actually really flattering, thank you, Keith.”

Keith smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Lance grinned. “You know, I still have to get back at you, right?”

Keith looked confused for a second. “What?”

Lance slammed his hand hard across the water sending a large splash at Keith then dived. He didn’t break records on his high school swim team for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos appreciated


	5. “...But Now It Just Rhymes With Remember” - Dominic Riccitello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update October 25th  
> (Yeah, that's a month from now, but I'll post one of my fairytales in that series in October to make up for it. I only have one October chapter.)

**5\. “...But Now It Just Rhymes With Remember” - Dominic Riccitello**

Lance had not taken into consideration that Altea wasn’t far from Arus. The fact there was a large apartment complex along the one actual street in Arus that was pretty cheap meant that a lot of college students took up residence there. Lance had almost gotten an apartment there before thinking better about it with those kinds of neighbors. Yet, even with that knowledge, maybe Lance had been underestimating Hunk’s ability with food and drinks. _Hunay’s_ was packed for an early Saturday morning. And those filling the tables and stools were new adults and returning members lucky enough to be enrolled at the Garrison and Altea’s smaller community college. Of course, many of them would choose to live outside of campus if they already owned a car, there was even a bus that stopped in Arus and drove straight to the Garrison. The community college didn’t have many dorms and the Garrison dorms were expensive and in need of expansion. Only those taking higher level classes really stayed as overnight simulations had to be performed. By this time in September, college students had gotten used to the class schedules. Of course, they would pencil in a time to hang out at the best cafe in Arus.

But, Lance had work to do. He had come into the cafe when it looked like a normal amount of busy for an early weekend afternoon, gotten Hunk’s special blend and a bagel, then set up with a tablet and a stack of papers to start grading quizzes. Sometime between taking his first sip and confusing himself with Spanish and English written answers he really shouldn’t be grading as both right, the cafe had filled. The jumble of conversation flowing between groups of adults not much younger than him added to a growing headache or maybe that was just the five days straight of early mornings he was going through every week. He didn’t have to go with Shiro for morning practices, but it worked well as part of his morning workout.

Back before Lance had graduated, he would have thrived in this sort of atmosphere. If he took a second to look up, he could see a good handful of attractive targets for his flirting. Surely one of them would find Lance at the peak of his allure. He was a teacher, but not their teacher, and young. And Lance did want to start dating again, but he had to get used to being a teacher first and learn the best way of getting his grading done, which was definitely not leaving it all to Saturday afternoon and Hunk’s ability to make a double shot taste like anything other than pure caffeine.

Gritting his teeth, Lance finally stood from his table and began to pack up his papers. He squeezed through the still busy line and straight up to Hunk who is refilling the pastries while a part-timer takes orders. Lance doesn't have to say anything before Hunk reaches behind him and pours Lance a refill of that special blend and a sandwich.

“Should have warned you about Saturdays during the fall semester, man. The second semester starts this way, but eases up,” Hunk said.

Lance scoffed. “You’ve had this cafe for a year and you already have a routine? Well, whatever, it’s fine. I’ll pick another day.”

Hunk waved Lance off as he left sipping his coffee. He regretted it when his tongue met the still hot liquid at the same time his body came into contact with the all-encompassing heat of the afternoon texas air. He didn’t want to walk all the way down to his jeep at the far end of the strip’s parking lot. And it would be blistering inside. Lance groaned and looked around hoping he might find some new shop with air conditioning, wi-fi, and seats. Instead, he saw a red motorcycle parked across the street and perked up. Right, Pidge and Keith’s little insurance scam’s office was over there. Perhaps he could get Pidge to take pity on him and let him hold up in there to work until the sun went down. She would definitely have wi-fi.

The door to the insurance office was inconspicuous enough, just the lettering stuck to the window reading _Gunderson’s Insurance_ giving any indication that there was a business inside with paper blinds drawn down on every window. Lance gave the door a couple light knocks before trying the handle. Finding it unlocked, Lance pushed it open.

“Hello?” Lance called in.

The front office was dimly lit, but Lance could make out the lines of posters lining the wall. Some looked like movie posters, others like something a twelve-year-old would scrounge up their first time in photoshop, but all showing some sort of alien or cryptid. There were two desks and in one sat Pidge was hunched over some metal bits while a smartly dressed mousy man sat curled in on himself watching her work. Pidge brightened up and held the small device out to the man in one hand and an empty palm out beside it. The man dropped a few bills into her empty palm and grabbed the metal bit before rushing out of the office without giving Lance any indication he knew he was there. Lance turned to Pidge with a questioning brow.

“Welcome to my lair, Lance,” Pidge said and leaned onto her hands smirking. “How may I assist you today? Finally buying into my little alien scheme here?”

Lance frowned and moved to take up the seat the man had vacated. “No. And I thought you said it wasn’t a scheme. I just need somewhere to grade papers. I didn’t think you actually got customers.”

Pidge gasped and feigned hurt. “You wound me, McClain. But, you’re not wrong. We usually don’t have customers. I was doing a repair job. Like I said, we make most of our money off gadgets and gizmos and apps.”

Lance opened up his tablet again and tried to spread his papers out across his lap not wanting to crush the little tools Pidge still had out on her desk and gain her wrath. It was bad enough experiencing that over the internet, he didn’t want it in person, too. “Maybe you can make me an ap to help grade these. Fill in the blank forces the students to learn more, but multiple choice is so much easier to grade.”

“Hey, you could use Keith’s desk for that. All he ever uses it for is to sit on and widdle.”

Lance laughed knocking a stack of papers down on the floor with the motion. “He widdles? How much more of an emo cowboy can he get?”

“He’s not good at it. It ‘keeps his knives sharp’, he says,” Pidge said making air quotes.

“That's the second time you've implied he has a knife collection.”

“Half of them are anime and video game replicas. And no, he doesn’t play video games, but he’s watched me play them since we were little,” Pidge said and pulled out her laptop.

Lance hummed, that actually sounded pretty cool. Knives were cool as long as Keith didn’t point them at him.

One of the doors on the back wall opened and Keith walked out holding a small box. He paused seeing Lance. Lance thought he saw Keith’s cheeks darkening, but it was hard to tell in the dim light of the room. His lips pulled up at the corners and he lowered his head handing the box off to Pidge.

“Hey, Lance,” he greeted.

Lance was reminded of skinny dipping. It had stopped being weird up until the point they had to get out of the lake and took to opposite sides to dry off before heading back. It had been a quick minute before Lance was on his way home.

“Hey Keith, buddy,” Lance said. And Pidge could wipe that sudden smug look that came over her, his voice was positively even greeting Keith. “You don’t mind if I borrow your desk to do some grading, right?”

Keith shrugged and leaned against Pidge’s desk, arms crossed. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks, dude,” Lance said and gathered his stuff going over to the desk. He switched the little desk light on so he could see his papers better.

“Don’t forget your drink,” Pidge called and lifted up the refill of Hunk’s special blend.

“Oh, yeah, I need that.”

Before Lance could get up to retrieve the cup, Keith had reached out to grab it. Instead of helping a pal out and handing it to Lance, he lifted it to his face and took a small sip, eyes widening.

“This is my blend,” Keith said.

“Your...oh, you’re the one Hunk made that for? It’s like, amazing,” Lance said.

Keith smiled and handed Lance the cup. “Coffee is attractive, but nothing quite smelled or tasted right until that.”

Attractive was an interesting way of putting it, but Lance guessed the aesthetic was pleasing. “Totally.” He lifted the drink to his mouth but hesitated and lowered it staring at the rim.

Keith turned to Pidge and tapped her desk. "So, that guy finally left?"

"Yep," Pidge answered. "I don't know why he creeps you out."

"Every time he sees me, he asks if I would fuck an alien," Keith explained.

"Why?" Lance asked looking up. "I mean, I know this is an alien insurance company, but why ask you?"

"Hell if I know. He never asks Pidge."

Pidge waved a hand around. "It's because I'm the one fixing their shit. If they piss me off I ruin their shit and they won't be able to track it back to me."

"Yeah, but he just doesn't ask that he makes it all weird with scenarios and stuff. I don't know if he's interested in me or trying to find a friend with the same fetishes as him."

Lance made a face. "Not your type I'm guessing."

Keith shook his head. "I've got a very specific type."

Pidge coughed suspiciously into her hand then sighed. "It's not an unreasonable question, though, just in and of itself. Potentially, I would fuck an alien."

"Me, too. I would totally fuck an alien," Lance agreed.

Keith looked between them both and sighed. "I mean, yeah I would, but they'd have to..." He made a motion with his hand. "You know, cuz I'm gay."

"Wow," Lance said.

Pidge started laughing again.

Keith sighed, his face definitely red, and pushed off Pidge's desk. “I’m going to go run that errand now.”

“Okay Keith, see ya,” Pidge called after him.

It took a few moments after Keith had left for Lance to feel Pidge’s eyes on him. "What?"

“You going to finish that indirect kiss or do you need a napkin to wipe it off?” Pidge asked.

Lance frowned and looked back down at the coffee he was still holding. He lifted a hand for a moment considering removing the lid before just taking a gulp, burning his tongue in the process. He tried not to let Pidge notice. He’d seen the guy naked already and he had shared germs with Pidge and Hunk and that hadn’t been weird.

“You guys are close now?” Pidge asked.

Lance moved his coffee to the edge of the desk and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt ignoring the dark stain against the light blue of the material. “He’s my neighbor. And he has access to a crane. How else was I supposed to get all that equipment you made me to my lab? Kind of had to become pals.”

Pidge slumped herself across her desk. “I want to see your lab.”

“No, not yet. You’ll complain how unprofessional it all is even though yours is a mess.”

Pidge sighed and there were a few moments of blissful silence before she began to twirl in her seat.

“Pidge, please,” Lance whined.

“Hey, you’re in my office, McClain, remember that.”

“Right sorry.”

“Hey, Lance,” Pidge called out stopping for a moment.

Lance looked up from his grading. Pidge was curled up on her desk chair and looking off to the side, shoulders slumped. For someone who was only two years behind Lance, Pidge still looked so small and young. The androgyny in her looks only added to that, not that she wasn’t attractive in her own way. Not Lance’s type, but he didn’t think anyone would say she was ugly. But, she looked shy and it was appealing in the way that made Lance’s heart reach out and want to shower someone with affection like the little ones back home.

“What is it, Pidge?”

“Uh, um, so like...I got invited to a club. Some classmates from my navigations class are going to go out next Saturday night with a whole group. I know I’ve lived here all my life, and they know that, and they want me to introduce them to people, but, like, I only really know this group. Shiro can’t go, but Keith and Hunk and Shay agreed and I was wondering if you wanted to come, too.”

Lance smiled. “A club? I’ve never been to one in Texas. Is it going to play country music or Latin?”

“It’s in Altea close to the Garrison so it’s going to cater to us nerds, so probably a couple of both but mostly really synthie stuff.”

“Of course I'll go, but you’ve got to introduce me to a few of these classmates of yours,” Lance said and winked.

Pidge frowned, but it looked forced. “I knew that flirty personality hadn’t been a lie through Skype. Don’t make my classmates hate me. I already have one crazy brother, I don’t need two.”

✰

Lance whistled lightly as he walked about his house making his way from his bedroom to the single bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror and adjusted the collar of his blue silk shirt then started working on his hair, pushing back his bangs. There were still papers he needed to grade and some tweaks to be made to next week’s teaching plan, but he felt lighter than he had last Saturday. He was freshly showered after running around with Shiro on the soccer field at Arus where they had done a little practice match with the high school incomers from Altea in order for both potential recruits to get a feel for the game. Altea had a much larger expanse of students wanting to try out for soccer and were eager to weed out those who didn’t know what they were getting into from the freshman. Lance was happy to say Arus won. And now he got to go flirt at a club for the first time since moving to Texas.

Lance wasn’t sure what clubwear looked like in Texas. He had taken his nicest button up and paired it with tight black skinny jeans and boots to dress it down, but he did want to make an impression on at least one person at the club. Unlike what most people might think when it came to his flirting, Lance wasn’t really into one night stands. He liked serious relationships when it came to anything beyond flirting. It had been over a year since his last one. Plaxum had been a lovely girl, but her friend group was a bit much for Lance. Good people, but he had a hard time keeping up with them and he didn’t want to keep Plaxum back as they delved into wacky theoretical science. It was about time Lance started planting some seeds for a possible romance to blossom within the next few months.

In front of Hunk and Shay’s cafe, Lance met up with the others and they piled into Hunk’s SUV, Pidge taking up the backseat. Keith, surprisingly, wasn’t there though Pidge said he would be.

“He’s already at the club, had some errands to do beforehand,” Pidge explained as Lance buckled in.

“Ah, I thought maybe it had been a fever dream when you said Mullethead agreed to go clubbing with you.”

“Keith likes dancing,” Hunk said and pulled out into the street.

“I usually end up dancing with Keith because Hunk gets tired after a couple drinks,” Shay said and gave Hunk a soft teasing smile.

“You guys are cute,” Lance said leaning towards the front seats ignoring the straining of the belt across his chest as he did so. “But, can you like not rub it in so much? I don’t want to be the odd man out if Pidge and Keith are going to be hanging out together.”

Pidge snorted in the back seat. “Don’t know why you think I’d be stuck with Keith. We’re meeting my classmates.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Hunk said as they approached the lights that illuminated Altea, “you’ll have someone clinging onto you real quick.”

Lance knew that even before they got to the club. As they stood outside in line, Lance could hear the electronic based music pumping from inside and he caught glimpses of the flashing lights every time someone entered after checking ids. Pidge was the only one refused a hand stamp as they walked in even though she was of legal age. Lance didn’t bother teasing her unsure if he would even make his way to the bar tonight. The moment he stepped in followed by the others, Lance's vision was taken over by red plaid stretched tight over thick thighs then up to a tight black t-shirt with an unbuttoned frayed sleeveless jean vest. His eyes moved to the person’s crossed arms and hands which were covered in fingerless black gloves then up to thick furrowed black brows shading hard to describe irises. And, shit, Keith had his hair up in a high ponytail, pieces already falling loose in an endearing way.

“Fuck, Keith, you’re like every gay boy’s fantasy of an emo cowboy. Do you own everything in red plaid? Where’s your hat?”

Keith’s brows went from furrowed to raised and his cheeks dusted with color Lance noticed when the club lights weren’t flashing red. “W-what?”

There was laughing behind Lance, but he didn’t back down. He was embarrassed, sure, but he knew he word vomited. That was half of his flirting technique anyways. He had to go with the punches. And in this case, that punch was to not get punched by Keith. He swooped in and wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulder.

“Come on, buddy. I hear you like dancing. Why don’t you show me your moves? I’ll wipe the floor with you after. I’m great at dancing.”

“But, I needed to tell Pidge something,” Keith said turning to look back at their group.

Lance glanced, too. They were all headed to the bar where Lance could see a gathering of kids without stamps surrounding a few that did. Those must be Pidge’s classmates.

“They say something to you? Or about Pidge?” Lance asked.

“Oh, no. A few recognized me, but they think Pidge is bringing a boyfriend or something like that. I might have accidentally made it sound like I was him.”

Lance laughed. “How? You apparently don’t care if others out you.”

“It’s not outing if I’m out. I’m gay, big deal. If you want to fight me about it, let’s fight.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “A to the point man as always. Well, I don’t think it really matters, Pidge can take care of herself, but if you want, we can show them just how gay you really are there, cowboy.”

A small breathy laugh escaped Keith. “What? I don’t understand what you’re even talking about, Lance.”

They reached the edge of the dance floor. There was a DJ tonight hyping up the crowd, most of the dancers trying to get close to her. Lance took a step into the throng and reached a hand out to Keith.

“I’m a big bi, you’re a big gay. Isn’t everything supposed to be bigger in Texas? Let’s show them.”

Keith’s nose wrinkled up as he frowned at Lance. “That was awful. It made no sense.”

He took Lance’s hand anyway.

Lance wasn’t really certain of what he was getting at either, but he knew Pidge could handle herself and it looked like the situation was bothering Keith more. As Lance started to sway to the beat of the music, letting the flashing lights guide him, Keith stood awkwardly looking around. Rolling his eyes, Lance reached out and pulled Keith close to him. He placed his hands on Keith’s hips and started to force him to move.

“Why do you seem so awkward? Hunk said you liked dancing,” Lance said.

Keith frowned and pushed at Lance’s chest. “Maybe it’s because a guy I barely know just grabbed me.”

Lance immediately removed his hands and took a step back. “Sorry, sorry, personal space. I figured after the skinny dipping thing being a little handsy was okay. My bad.”

Keith looked at Lance surprised then lowered his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. “No, not you. I…”

“Someone touched you?” Lance asked and narrowed his eyes.

Keith sighed. “Honestly, yeah, but I dealt with him already. It’s just, I’m a bit on edge and you guys ran late. I’ve been here alone for a while.” Keith moved his hand from his neck and rubbed it up and down his other arm.

Lance placed his hands on his hips and straightened up. “Well, we’re here now, so do you want to dance? I’m sure you dealt that guy some real damage.”

Keith chuckled and nodded his head. “I’m lucky he didn’t call the police.”

They danced close. Lance had initiated the closeness at first, but more as a form of teasing. Now they were grinding together and Lance only ever danced this sexy with friends like Hunk who was totally straight and totally comfortable with that. Was he Keith’s friend? They had really only hung out that one time with the crane and the horses and the...skinny...dipping. Which, maybe that wasn’t something you did with a new friend.

Huh, maybe Keith did know how to flirt.

Keith’s face stayed close to Lance’s neck the longer they danced. Lance didn’t want to call him out on it, but he was pretty sure Keith was sniffing him. Maybe Keith was buzzed even though Lance couldn’t smell anything on him. He did get there before them. And if Keith thought he smelled good, Lance didn’t mind. But, he was seeing a lot of people carrying around pretty colored drinks and he didn’t drive so Lance was giddy for a refreshment.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance said and stopped swaying, “let’s go get a drink.”

Keith groaned softly not moving his face from Lance’s neck. “Don’t want to.”

“Well, I think you should really at least get some water in you, it’s hot on the dance floor and you do feel pretty warm,” Lance said.

Keith suddenly straightened up, eyes wide. “Bathroom.”

Lance watched confused as Keith hurried away. He sure hoped Keith had drunk too much. Pidge said he drove here on his bike. They could probably fit it in Hunk’s Hummer if they had to. Either way, Lance hurried over to the bar where Pidge’s friends were. He didn’t see Hunk or Shay guessing they had gone out to dance and Pidge was on the far corner showing a couple of her classmates something on her phone and arguing about it. He slid into a stool at the end of the group and waved the bartender over ordering a drink.

“Ah, you picked a good one,” a girl beside him said. She had long blonde hair, big breasts, and her accent oddly reminded him of Allura’s. She was cute and Lance leaned in a bit more.

“Really? I think it’ll taste pretty good, but I don’t know how they make them here in Texas, hopefully, better,” Lance said.

“Oh, you’re Lance?” she asked. The way she said Lance’s name also reminded him of Allura.

Lance grinned at her. “Yes I am, and who might you be, pretty lady.”

The girl fluttered her eyes, but she looked more confused than flirtatious. “I’m Romelle.”

Lance narrowed his eyes at the girl. Romelle, Romelle. He knew that name. “Oh! You dated Hunk and Pidge!”

Romelle’s cheeks dusted pink and she sat up straighter. “I went on a date with Hunk and Pidge once before, yes. That was some time ago. I’m also Allura’s very distant cousin.”

That explained the accent, Lance thought.

“I was very fortunate to stay friends with both Hunk and Pidge and Shay is very nice, though it seems Allura’s the only one that can really stand me for long periods of time.”

“Ah, you’re not bad, Hunk and Pidge wouldn’t be friends with you otherwise,” Lance said. Hunk had said they were too much alike and Pidge didn’t really know if she was into women or anyone really. Also, Romelle was a nosey person.

Romelle laughed softly and leaned towards Lance a bit. “Really? I think you’re right. Oh, you should tell me about Missouri.”

“Michigan,” Lance corrected.

Romelle moved in closer, violet eyes wide and curious. “Oh, you’re from Canada?”

“No, I’m Cuban,” Lance said and leaned back.

Romell frowned. “Cuban? From Canada?”

“No, Michigan is in America.”

The girl’s face flushed again. “Oh, I didn’t visit America as much as a child. I get your states confused.”

“Ah huh,” Lance hummed glad for the bartender when they finally handed him over his drink.

Suddenly, Lance felt arms wrap around his shoulders and soft hair tickled his neck as a nose buried into his shoulder with a quiet moan. He stiffened up before relaxing seeing the fingerless gloved hands tied together at his throat.

“Oh, hi Keith!” Romelle greeted.

“Romelle,” Keith grumbled out.

“Uh, bye Lance,” Romelle said before quickly sliding off her stool to go badger Pidge and her classmates. She was a pretty girl, but Lance had already been warned she wasn’t his type.

“Did you drink?” Lance asked. It wasn’t new for him to have some drunken friend draped across him, but this seemed un Keith like.

Lance thought he felt a shake of Keith’s head then there was sniffing.

“What is it?” he asked.

“You smell like coffee,” Keith said. “My special blend.”

“I haven’t had any today,” Lance said.

Keith suddenly squeezed Lance tighter before pulling away with a sigh. Lance turned in his stool to look Keith over. There was a sheen to his pale skin and a flush to his cheeks. Keith raised a hand to his hair and brushed his bangs out of his face before bringing his hands to his hips.

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked. “You seem off still.”

Keith pushed a hand inside his plaid jean pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “I’m heading home. I think I calculated my days wrong. I need my dose.”

“Oh, you didn’t take your meds properly? That’s not good.” Lance stood and tried to grab for the keys, but Keith pulled them out of his reach. “I can drive myself just fine. And you don’t know how to drive a motorcycle. You also had alcohol.”

“Like a sip,” Lance defended, but Keith was right that he didn’t know how to drive a motorcycle.

“Just tell Hunk and Pidge I had to go home, alright?”

“Wait, I’ll come with you,” Lance said and he didn’t know why. Well, Keith did look bad and he was the only one Lance had been with all night. Suddenly, the club just didn’t feel as exciting as it had that morning.

“You don’t have to do that, Lance. I would have to drop you off at your house first,” Keith argued.

Lance just kept following him shooting a text to Hunk where he was going. “I can walk to mine from yours. I already figured out the path.”

“Lance,” Keith growled, but Lance stayed on his heels and followed Keith out of the club and down the alleyway nearby.

“Well, if it isn’t Couch McClain?”

Lance stopped and whirled around. There was a group of kids that didn’t look much younger than him coming into the alley dressed as if they were headed to the club as well, but decided on a little detour. None of them looked like the soccer team members or any other Arus high schooler Lance had met, so he wasn’t sure why they would call him like that.

“Uh, I think you’ve got the wrong person,” Lance said.

“Nope. Blue eyes, tan skin, brown hair. You called the shots on this morning's practice game,” said the boy in the lead of the group.

“Oh, an Altean student,” Lance said. Lance hadn’t put any of their faces to the names Shiro had ranted off. Apparently, they weren’t the first or second line for Altea’s large teams which was why they were at the practice game in the first place.

The boy laughed. “Nope, but my brother is and I don’t appreciate you making a fool of him.”

This guy did look older than all of the Altean students and they had come with a few extra adults. As soon as the game started, though, Lance had focused in on the ball and not anyone in the bleachers. He had given a lot of calls. Arus had won, but only by one shot, only by the only shot made in play. Lance had made the call for that shot and he did remember a couple Altean students falling over trying to get the ball away from Arus right before then.

Lance shrugged. “I didn’t make a fool out of anyone. We only won by one point.”

There was a glaze to the guy’s eyes and Lance thought maybe this wasn’t the first club he and his friends had visited that night. Was he just looking for trouble? Lance couldn’t get into fights like this. He was young and had too much going against him already, he didn’t need to be tagged as a bad role model.

“How about we have a little game of our own? Or I could get my guys a nice description of you and your friend there, make you have to watch your back down every alley,” the guy continued.

Lance was about to threaten to call the cops and lie through his teeth about knowing the sheriff (maybe Shiro knew the Sheriff) when he heard a growl behind him and then Keith was stepping in front of Lance pushing him back.

“You better leave,” Keith warned.

“And who are you to tell us?” the guy asked.

“Dude, just leave it alone, your brother’s an idiot,” said a friend from the group.

“If you’re going to beat him up, do it already, I want to go to the club,” a girl in the group whined.

“Both of you shut up. I know my brother is an idiot, but he’s my blood and we defend blood, got it?” His eyes looked past Keith and at Lance. “And you’re new from what I hear. Can’t even speak Spanish properly.”

“I’m Cuban,” Lance defended. “I speak it just fine!”

“Leave,” Keith growled again.

“Make me,” said the guy.

And then Keith was rushing forward before Lance could stop him. The guy caught on just in time to throw the first punch that landed against Keith’s shoulder. The second punch, Keith caught and pulled the guy over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground hard. A woof of air escaped him and before the guy could get up, one of his friends was rushing at Keith. Keith managed to kick him away and the third friend while the rest of the group was smart enough to stay away. Lance watched for a moment stunned as Keith, sculpted but lithe, kept up with the three guys, but he didn’t look good. He was sweating and paler than normal. Then, Lance remembered why they had even come out here in the first place.

“Keith! Keith, stop!”

Keith glanced over at Lance then paused as if he heard something. He was already rushing to Lance before Lance caught onto the sound of yelling. Had someone seen them fighting? Didn’t matter, he was trailing after Keith again at top speed. Turned out Keith parked his bike in the lot behind the bar. He got on then patted the back of the bike for Lance.

“Get on and hold tight.”

Lance raised a brow but climbed on. “You sure you can drive in your condition?”

Keith glared and hissed out a “Yes, now hold me.”

“Oh, you don’t have to beg me, Mullet,” Lance said and wrapped his arms tight around Keith’s waist.

Lance crowded in close once Keith actually started driving. He placed his face in the crook of Keith’s shoulder and neck when the warm wind hit his face as they picked up speed on the highway. He had never been on a motorcycle before. This was nothing like a romantic stroll on horseback or skinny dipping in a lake. This had Lance’s heart beating fast and shivers running underneath his skin making it hard to calm down. He had just watch Keith pummel three guys in his defense and now they were riding off into the night on his motorcycle. Lance pulled away and leaned back starting to laugh.

“You’re a maniac,” Lance said.

“Who is the one laughing for no reason?” Keith yelled back to him. “Hold tight, I’m taking a sharp turn.”

Lance leaned back forward still smiling at the absurdity of this guy. Keith was too much, really. Lance could feel the dampness of Keith’s skin against his cheek. Even his sweat smelled sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments appreciated. ^.^


	6. “October was always the least dependable of months.” -- Joy Fielding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update 8th of November

**6\. “October was always the least dependable of months.” -- Joy Fielding**

“Alright, class, stay close and stay in your groups,” Lance called yelling over the line of students trailing behind him. The other fifth grade teachers had lines of their own. “Coach Shirogane was nice enough to let us use his ranch for our biology studies, so I trust you’ll respect his property and not get into any trouble.”

It didn’t look like any of the children were really paying attention to Lance. He couldn’t blame them, a trip to your teacher’s ranch wasn’t the most exciting, but Shiro said the fifth-grade class had been coming every year, but he might have to deny the request if the classes got any bigger. Lance was just glad to luck out with the smallest group. He handed each student a couple pens and pencils and a notebook with a few worksheets in it that they were supposed to fill out as the day went on, then began to search the gathering of ranch hands being split up by Shiro himself. He grinned seeing Keith headed their way. Of course Mr. Unsociable would get the smallest group. His arms were crossed and his face was pressed in a way that wiped the smile from Lance’s face. He took a few steps away from his group to meet Keith before he got in earshot of the fifth graders. He placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder making him gasp.

“Lance?”

Lance squeezed Keith’s shoulder once before removing his hand. “Hey, man, you okay?”

“I’ve...never done one of these. Usually, Shiro has enough workers to do the classes,” Keith admitted.

Lance laughed and put his hands on his hips. “Well, good thing you got my group. The kids won’t care as long as you give them the answers they need for the worksheets. I might have concentrated on astronomy in college, but I know a bit of ag science.”

Keith leaned back and gave Lance a once over with a raised brow. “I fully expected you to say something about biology right then.”

Lance grinned and took a step closer to Keith lowering his voice. “If I didn’t have half a class of preteens behind me, I would have. But, I can totally ramble on about how cows produce milk if worse comes to shove.”

Keith actually did okay the first couple of hours. He had a copy of the sheet the students had to fill out and the more he just let himself talk, the easier it was, but Lance still cringed through most of it. Keith obviously had no talent for presentations. He didn’t look at the class, didn’t try to raise his voice if they started talking over him, just stopped talking altogether, and didn’t try to engage. When they finally got to the horses, Lance slid up to Keith.

“Hey, Keith, why don’t you tell them about the horse’s names?” Lance offered.

Keith looked down at the sheet then back up at Lance and raised a brow. “Um, okay. They’re all named after a color. The palomino back there is named Dorado. The three big horses in the back are mine, Shiro’s...Couch Shiro’s, and your vice principle’s mare. They’re Red, Blue, and Black. The pony’s name is Olive.”

“Hey, olives aren’t a color,” one of the students pointed out.

“Neither is Dorado, but you didn’t complain about that one,” another student argued.

“Olive’s are green. I didn’t name her,” Keith said now crossing his arms, sheet crumbled in the crook of his elbow.

“Oh, did your girlfriend name her? She gave it a stupid name,” a third student added.

“Ricardo, I swear,” Lance mumbled underneath his breath.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Keith said. “I agree it’s a stupid name.”

Lance sighed. He was glad Pidge wasn’t here, but agreeing with the student seemed to calm the class down. Lance was just glad when Shiro came in with his group a moment later and all eyes were on him as he started to go on about the stable and the stories his grandmother used to tell him about it. Keith relaxed next to Lance, his arms falling to his side, but he didn’t really seem any more at ease. In fact, he looked a bit sad.

Shiro’s stories weren’t mentioning Keith, they were about when he was younger. Lance thought he heard Pidge’s brother mentioned a few times, perhaps stories from before either Keith or Pidge were born. The rare times Lance had visited Cuba when he was a child, he thought he had felt something similar hearing his family tell stories about when he wasn’t there. They were all so close and happy together and he wanted to feel at home with them, wanted to feel at home somewhere. And Keith...Lance didn’t know a lot about Keith and what he did know was mostly from other people, but Keith didn’t seem to mind that. Maybe he thought it was easier like that. Come prepared. Still, Lance didn’t think he needed to know that Keith had no family to understand the feelings on his face.

Lance reached out his hand and grabbed Keith’s. A small gasp escaped him, and Lance smiled leaning into the other man.

“Hey, you did good, man, hang in there,” Lance whispered.

Keith glanced over at Lance, a tiny smile on his lips. “Thanks. It’s...hard. I couldn’t do what you do.”

“Hey, sometimes hard stuff can be fun.” Lance wiggled his eyebrows and earned a cut off snort from Keith.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t make those jokes with kids nearby,” Keith said.

“I said I wouldn’t make them in earshot,” Lance corrected.

Keith sighed and turned back to watch Shiro talk about the horses. The hand Lance was still holding moved and Lance was going to loosen the hold when he felt fingers lace with his own. The feel of Keith’s gloves rubbing against his bare hand had his chest constricting with a pleasurable warmth that he expressed by squeezing their connected hands.

The children might not find this an exciting field trip, but Lance definitely did.

✫

“ _Si_ , Ma. No, I haven’t gone to Mexico yet. Yes, yes, I promise. No, I haven’t called anyone in Cuba yet. I don’t have the money for that far of a call to be added to my plan.” Lance balanced his cellphone between his shoulder and ear as he stumbled around trying to get his other sock on. “Look, I really gotta go. I had plans tonight and I’m already running late.”

“ _Mijo_ , are you going drinking?” Mama McClain asked.

“Hopefully, that’s how the night ends, but no, I’m going for a walk with my friends through the forest.”

The woman gasped. “On Halloween? I’d rather you just go drinking.”

Lance finally got the sock on though it was inside out. Close enough. “It's just my neighbor's forest. No, really, I have to go now. I’ll talk to you later.”

Lance pocketed his phone and hurried to the door just as lights shone through the blinds covering his front windows. He peaked out through one to see Hunk’s SUV parked outside. He checked himself once in the mirror he’d set up by his door where he was supposed to hang his keys on the little hooks that came on it, but they always ended up buried somewhere on his dresser instead. Lance wasn’t really sure what you wore for a hike. He’d popped a snapback on his head, a blue plaid over a t-shirt, some loose fitting jeans, and the sturdiest tennis shoes he had. He felt young. It was strange after spending the last couple of months in button-ups and slacks. The sound of a car horn had Lance turning from his reflection. He grabbed his backpack before heading out.

“Did you really have to beep?” Lance yelled as Hunk finally shut off his headlights and got out. “It’s not like you’re picking me up. Where’s the gremlin?”

“If I went inside, you’d just take longer,” Hunk said pulling out a bag from the trunk. “Pidge is getting a ride from Keith. They have a tradition of meeting up at his house first.”

Lance nodded and looked his old friend over. Hunk was dressed like they were going for a camping trip so Lance guessed he wasn’t too far off the mark. “Shay not coming?”

“Nah, we’ve got the cafe going right now. Lonely hearts need twenty cups of coffee on holidays. Valentine’s was harsh,” Hunk said.

Lance could sympathize.

Just then, he heard the roar of a motorcycle as Keith came around the corner on his bike, a blur of green and orange clinging to his back. Keith rolled up onto Lance’s driveway in a smooth slide and shook the leader of their little expedition off his back. Pidge popped up blinking and pulled a pair of goggles from her cargo shorts before hopping off Keith’s bike.

“Alright, tonight we’re hunting ghosts and chupacabras. Also, aliens,” Pidge said as she put the goggles on. Then, she pulled out a tablet with a cord attached to it, the other end still in her bag.

Lance was about to ask what she was holding when Keith moved to stand beside him. Hunk filled in the space pulling out his own electronics and began to compare readings with Pidge while Lance was distracted looking Keith over. He was wearing a red plaid shirt as usual over top of an emo looking band tee, dark jeans with rips, a studded belt, and he had a black beanie on his head instead of a cowboy hat, hair pulled back with pins and tied at the nape of his neck in a low ponytail. For once, Lance noticed earrings in his ears as well. He still had those fingerless gloves on, though.

“Hey, for once you just look like a hot emo instead of an emo cowboy,” Lance said.

Keith looked surprised, blinking big pretty eyes, the color of the night in starlight, before groaning and looking away. “And you look like a frat boy.”

Lance really wished it wasn’t dark so he could see the flush Keith had on his face. Since the field trip, Lance hadn’t really had a chance to go over to Shiro’s. There hadn’t been time to talk that day when Lance’s main duty was as a teacher. So, he’d hopped on a bus and went back to school with the students with the feel of Keith’s hand interlaced with his. It was a feeling he found himself remembering during quiet moments.

“Alright, we’re ready to go,” Pidge announced.

Lance stayed in the back of the group as they started into the woods of Shiro’s land behind Lance’s house. What they were really looking for, Lance wasn’t sure, but he kept an eye on the sky as they walked marveling at how clear the stars were so far from a major city. He was half aware of Keith keeping pace beside him, shoulder always almost brushing against his own, only moving away when Pidge asked about tracks. It was nice, Lance thought. Next time he’d have to join in on the prep work in order to really understand what he was supposed to be looking at. Still, the cool breeze reminded him of home where he’d already be in a jacket by this time of the year.

“This is nice,” Lance said.

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Keith chuckled. “You’re looking at the stars.”

“I like stars. We probably won’t see a chupacabra. They’re goat drinkers, not cow drinkers. If we were by a cemetery we might see ghosts,” Lance said.

Keith shrugged. “There are some things buried around here, you never know.”

Lance narrowed his eyes watching Keith. There was a solemn look on the guy’s face. Lance sighed and tried to pay attention to what Pidge and Hunk were rambling on about. Pidge suddenly stopped and held up a hand staring at her tablet.

“Keith, that way,” Pidge said.

“On it!” And suddenly Keith was brandishing a dagger Lance wasn’t even sure he wanted to know where that came from. Keith rushed into a group of nearby trees, Pidge following after him.

“Wait, don’t kill it!” she yelled.

Hunk was tugged along hold her still attached tablet. “Pidge, wait, the readings!”

Lance just stared after them for a moment confused. When they were gone, their screams silent, Lance sighed and started in the direction his companions had gone. After walking a few yards, Lance realized it was a lot quieter than it should be with three other people close by.

“How the fuck did I get lost this fast?” Lance took a few more steps before cupping his mouth and calling out. “Pidge! Hunk! Hey, Mullethead! Where did you guys run off to? Guys?”

There was the sound of skittering feet and Lance tumbled back with a yelp but didn’t see anything. Probably an owl. Did they have owls in Texas? He shook his head and looked up at the stars. Good thing Lance had memorized the star charts for this area so he could at least make it home by himself. He started walking in the direction but paused when he thought he heard voices that didn't belong to any of his friends. Lance waited until the murmuring had grown quiet before following it. He pushed away some brush only to step into a clearing with an old building half collapsed in the middle of it. Lance could only describe the structure as a shack. It didn’t look big enough to have more than one main room and a bathroom, but there was a rocking chair tossed onto the ground by the collapsed half. Lance walked up to it. Now, this was something work checking out on Halloween.

The door was still intact and Lance tried the knob. He jiggled it until a soft click sounded and it creaked opened just enough for Lance to slip inside. Fallen beams kept Lance from opening the door the rest of the way. He stuck a bit of loose wood on the other side of the door to keep himself from being locked in and started to look around. There was furniture, but it was covered in dust. Most of the bookshelves were empty, but there were a few large sheets of papers still stuck to walls with maps and algorithms written on them, but they showed wear and a few had bug bites in them making some of the letters hard to read. Lance moved further over to a futon couch with a large hole torn into it, stuffing pouring out and signs of mice droppings beneath. Lance still crouched down to look under it. He didn’t find anything, but he did catch a glimpse of something under a larger piece of room on the collapsed end. Lance wished he had gloves, but just pushed the wood away with his foot enough to see a rug. He grabbed it and lifted, parts of the rug that unraveled in his hands, finally getting a better view of the shiny metal he had seen. It looked like some kind of door. Lance tugged at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. There was a really weird looking lock on it, too. Lance had picked locks before. He’d even hot wired his first car once when he’d lost his keys, but this was some Indian Jones shit. Lance stamped a foot onto the door. Instead of the hollow echoing of metal in an empty space, it came back solid. Lance frowned. Whatever had been under here, it had collapsed as well or had been filled in. Who knew how old this place actually was. Lance turned and grabbed one of the papers from the walls that looked like stars. As he started to examine it, he heard voices again. He lowered himself trying to hear them, but again the voices were too far away, but now they sounded like yelling. The area went silent again.

Lance waited a moment then folded the paper he was holding and put it in his pants pocket. He walked out, closing the door behind him and started in the opposite direction of the voices.

“Pidge!” Lance called. “Hunk! Keith, buddy!”

Lance walked away from the shack and back into the brush only to hear something again, but this time it wasn't voices. When he turned to the sound, instead of there being nothing, Lance caught sight of a blur of dark and white fur rushing at him until he had eighty pounds of pure fluff barrelling into his chest knocking the wind out of him. He laid spread forest floor. Lance groaned as a wet tongue started licking at his face and he reached his hands up to push the head of the creature away, ruffling its fur gently as he did so.

“Kosmo, what are you even doing here, get off me,” Lance laughed pushing the dog off.

Just as Lance sat up, there were footsteps rushing towards him and he turned to see Keith, still with his knife in hand, looking surprised then upset as his dog padded over and tried to push him down as well. Keith holstered his knife, its sheath apparently on the back of his belt, and knelt down to pet his beast. Hunk and Pidge joined them a few seconds later.

“Oh, it was just your dog. Again,” Pidge said sighing, shoulders slumping.

Keith gave her an apologetic look then turned to Lance. “Sorry about him.”

“Nah, it’s fine, at least I know he’s running at me for love and not because you sicced him on me,” Lance said standing up.

“Hey, Lance, you didn’t get lost, did you? I looked behind and you weren’t there,” Hunk added.

Lance wiped at the knees of his jeans. “Nope, can’t get lost when the stars are out. I was headed home when I heard what I thought was voices, but I couldn't find their source. Glad we ran into each other, though.”

"Voices?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, but not you guys. I couldn't hear the words, but at one point it sounded like arguing and music. Are there workers here tonight?"

Keith frowned. "There's not suppose to be."

"I guess that's why Kosmo's out here," Pide added then sighed. "We should head back then. Your dog plus trespassers mean all the ghosts and ghouls have been scared away." She too her devices back from Hunk stuffed them back in her bag. “Let’s go drink.”

Lance walked up to her and turned to Keith grinning. “Coming, dog boy?”

Keith chuckled and hugged his dog closer. He didn’t look anything like a knife-wielding maniac with his face half buried into the fur of a huge fluffy dog. “No, I’m going to take Kosmo home..”

“You want someone to walk with you?” Lance asked. "I don't think it's safe if others are out."

"I've got a knife and a wolf," Keith reminded Lance.

"Yeah, but still."

Keith smiled at Lance, eyes relaxed, gentle, sure. He stood, one hand still in Kosmo’s fur. “The stars are out, right? Besides, I grew up here, I know the shortcuts.”

Pidge rolled her eyes beside Lance and tugged on his arm. “Come on, Lance. Keith never drinks with us. You can walk him home another day. See ya, Keith!”

Lance came along but glanced back to watch Keith head deeper into the forest. Keith stopped once and turned, surprised to find Lance watching him, but he smiled and did a little wave. Lance smiled and waved back.

He still felt the other’s warmth in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, kudos, share: All are welcomed and appreciated! ^o^


	7. “Dull November Brings the Blast…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter Nov. 22  
> (it's a long chapter)

**7\. “Dull November Brings the Blast…”**

Sweat soaked into the armpits and backs of students’ t-shirts made Lance cringe as he stood on the sidelines in a polo and basketball shorts. He used to be jealous of his coaches in school who always stood to the side blowing whistles and yelling. He wondered how they ended up sweaty too when they weren’t even running. In Texas, Lance could guess. October had carried a chill in its last few days, but that was gone by the time November rolled around. Lance didn’t remember the last time he’d gone out in November without at least a sweater on and here he was with legs exposed wishing he had a tank top on. The weather did say it would drop down to what Lance thought as proper November weather by next weekend.

Shiro was doing most of the actual coaching. He had handed Lance off to the girl team. Somehow the distract expected Shiro to be able to coach both at the same time. Lance hadn't minded since it looked like the girl's team could actually carry on their routine without constant supervision. Also, by the looks of their past trophies, the girl team was really the breadwinner for the soccer funds way before Shiro became the coach. Lance gave instructions as he could, but really this close to their first real game of the season, there wasn’t anything he could say to them simply as the supervising teacher. Shiro was the coach with the degree and the knowledge.

And it was a Saturday. No one wanted to be here for this last grueling practice.

“Aye, Mr. Lance, when is Coach Shiro giving us a break?” one of the girls asked getting up from where a group of them had gathered to do stretches.

Lance shrugged. “I figure we’ll stop for lunch soon, but he doesn’t look pleased with the boys.”

“They’re a bunch of _huevones_ ,” another girl yelled from the circle.

“Hey, I understand you,” Lance reminded.

“Like you care, we’re high schoolers. You’re not that much older than us.”

“I’m a teacher and that’s what matters,” Lance said and put his hands on his hips.

“You were at a club on Halloween, Mr. Lance. My sister told me. She saw you,” the girls teased as if that would loosen him up.

Lance frowned. This was why he didn’t teach high schoolers. They were too interested in your personal lives and could actually hold a conversation close to those Lance had with his peers. “I’m an adult, I can go to clubs. So you girls better not go sneaking into one.”

“You’re no fun, Mr. Lance.”

“Your girlfriend will break up with you if you go to too many clubs.”

Lance turned a glare on them. “Go practice passes or something. Where’s your captain?”

“I’m the captain,” the first girl said and sighed waving for the other girls to follow her.

Right, Lance should probably learn their names. That was another pile of names to add to the list.

Shiro jogged over to Lance a few minutes later. “The girls teasing you?”

Lance shrugged. “Teasing girls have always been annoying to me. I usually go for people who aren’t really interested in me at first so I’m not taking them seriously or anything. I knew being young would make the students more comfortable around me.”

Shiro patted Lance’s shoulder. “That’s true. They still tease me, but this isn’t my first bunch. Is it too hot?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Is that a question that really needs answering? This weather is the worse, but at least the players won’t be running around in shorts in negative zero weather. That sucked.”

“True. We’ll be taking lunch soon. I’m going to start having them do cool down laps. Can you put the water coolers in the wagon? We’re going to need to refill them.”

“Aye, aye, Coach,” Lance said and did a little salute.

Shiro hurried back over starting with the girls and set them up on the track that surrounded the soccer field. Lance turned to the orange water coolers and was surprised when he still felt ice sloshing inside as he put them in the wagon. Well, it wasn’t a lot of ice, but he definitely heard a few pieces moving around in the mostly empty containers. In this heat, he'd half expected them to be completely evaporated.

“Lance!”

Lance almost dropped the watercooler when he heard that voice. It was raspy but soft like a low purr. He turned seeing Keith hurrying over wearing his plaid and scuffed black jeans and cowboy hat. He even had a little bandana wrapped around his neck. Slung over his shoulders looked to be a very large lunch kit. Lance smiled.

“Hey, Keithy,” Lance greeted.

There was the shy of a smile on Keith’s lips as he walked up in front of Lance on the opposite side of the wagon. “Hey.”

A silence filled the space between them, both smiling, but unsure. Lance didn’t really like this, but at the same time, he felt his chest tighten in a way that left him breathless. He swallowed and finally managed to get a sentence out.

“So, what are you doing here?” Lance asked.

“Oh, uh, Shiro asked me to bring lunch,” Keith said and pulled the bag from his shoulder placing it on top of the coolers. He unzipped it and pulled out large containers and foil wrapped tortillas.

“Shiro gets tacos for lunch? Oh man, he’s so lucky. Is that Hunk’s recipe? He learned that from my family,” Lance said leaning in to get a smell. Yeah, it was just like home.

“Huh, uh, yeah, Hunk taught me some recipes since Shiro can’t cook for shit and I was doing the bare minimum. But, um,” Keith said and looked away, shoulders hunched. “It’s not just for Shiro.”

Lance leaned back, arms crossed. “Oh, you staying for lunch?”

Keith shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got more work on the ranch. It’s for you, too.”

“Oh.” Lance felt his stomach rumble. “You made me lunch?”

Keith had one of his glove-covered hands on the back of his neck rubbing it, the other across his chest. He was looking away, but his ears were tinted red and Lance didn’t think that was from a sunburn. He was being shy and if that wasn’t the cutest thing! Lance chuckled.

“Thanks, Keith. That means a lot. I haven’t had a home cooked meal that wasn’t my measly attempt since I got here.”

Keith straightened up and lifted his hand from his neck to his hat tilting it back bringing the shadow it cast off his face and grinned. “You’re welcome, Lance.”

Again, that silence fell between them. Lance wanted to say something, maybe tease the other, get him riled up. He searched Keith’s face to see if he could find anything to poke at. Usually, he just commented on his hair, but he didn’t want that to get old. That’s when he noticed a dark spot on his cheek. Lance had thought it was just a shadow before, but he could see it clearly now. It looked like a bruise. Lance reached out.

“What happened to your face?” Lance asked.

Keith instinctively pulled back trying to push his hat back down. “Nothing.”

Lance frowned and reached out again and grabbed Keith’s chin. He lifted it to the side. “That’s a bruise. What happened?”

Keith’s brows furrowed and he looked away. Lance didn’t let go of his face. “Got into a fight.”

“Really? With who?” Lance walked around the wagon so he could examine the bruise better.

“Random guys in alleys aren’t the only people I get in fights with. Ouch, watch where you poke.”

Lance scoffed, thumb caressing the purple and yellow skin. “I sure hope you left the other guy in a worse state.”

“Of course I did,” Keith said and lifted a hand up to Lance’s wrist, but he did push Lance’s hand away. “I’m fine, really.”

Lance leaned in a bit closer. “You shouldn’t let people hit your face, it’s too pretty. Unfairly so.”

Keith let out a breathy laugh. “Is that a compliment or a complaint.”

“Hmm, maybe both.”

“Lance!”

Immediately, Lance pulled away from Keith and turned to see Shiro approaching them with furrowed brows. Keith stood with crossed arms tapping a booted foot.

“You’re here Keith?” Shiro asked glancing over to Lance.

Right, Keith was basically Shiro’s brother. Lance had momentarily forgotten that.

“Yeah, I brought you both lunch,” Keith said and nodded towards the lunchbox on the coolers.

“Both?” Shiro asked and turned to Lance with a raised brow.

“Someone punched Keith in the face!” Lance blurted out.

Keith turned on him with a glare and mouthed ‘Betrayal’ at him.

“You got into another fight?” Shiro asked. “Was it another one of the hands?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it always?”

Shiro sighed. “Am I going to have to fire them or did they leave?”

Keith waved a hand and turned from his brother. “You don’t have to fire anyone, Shiro. I took care of it. Pidge was there and recorded the part where he swung first.”

“Explains why you got hit in the first place, but try not to fight any more of the ranch hands. There’s not too many more I can hire.”

“Yeah, sure, see you, Shiro,” Keith said then glanced over to Lance. “And I’ll see you around, right, Lance?”

“I’m your neighbor, Keith. If you really want to see more of my beautiful face, just walk on over,” Lance invited.

“I might just take you up on that offer one of these days,” Keith said and walked away.

It was a few moments before Lance again became aware that Shiro was there and he immediately averted his eyes from watching Keith walk away. Those pants fit him really well.

Shiro sighed then reached out for the lunch kit slinging it across his shoulder. “I guess I should call and cancel my sandwich order.”

“Did you not know Keith was bringing food?” Lance asked.

“Nope.” Shiro grabbed the front of the wagon and began to pull it up the hill to the nearest water hose hooked to the back of the gym.

Lance grabbed one of the coolers and screwed off the lid holding it in place for Shiro to fill. “That’s odd.”

“Not really, he obviously brought it for you. I mean, Keith does bring me lunch often, but usually because I ask. Still, I’m eating my share.”

“Of course,” Lance agreed grinning.

“I want to slap that look off your face, but I’ve never seen Keith flirt so obviously with someone before.”

“Was he flirting?” Lance asked. Yeah, that was totally flirting. Keith had been kind of obvious, but Lance wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Shiro scoffed. “Like you weren’t laying it on just as thick.”

“Does that bother you?” Lance asked screwing the top of the cooler closed once it was filled and moving to the next one.

“Not really. You’re a good guy, Lance. Keith’s gone on dates, but he’s never had a relationship. There wasn’t a lot of time for it when he was in high school and he doesn’t make time for it now. I’m his guardian, his family, I have to play the big brother card.”

Lance glanced over at Shiro whose lips were set in an uncertain frown. “Is this your way of subtly telling me you approve of me asking Keith out, but you’ll beat my ass to Timbuktu if I break his heart?”

Shiro shrugged, a bit of the water splashing onto Lance with the motion. “That depends. Do you want to date Keith?”

Lance glanced in the direction of the little park connected to the school where he could see Keith’s red bike parked, its owner approaching. He watched just in time to see Keith stumble over something, kick at it, only to stumble again. Lance chuckled and sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”

✫

Lance wondered if this was the life burritos had living in the back of his freezer. He was wrapped tightly in a quilt and two jackets as he sat in front of his laptop that he had hooked to the equipment Pidge had built him. It was cold tonight, and he cursed the wind that blew in through the cracks of the metal water tower. Whoever said that warm air rises was a liar. Lance was high up above most trees and colder than he had been when he first set up for his late night viewing. And he’d forgotten to pack gloves when he moved down. He’d have to go to Altea and pick some up soon even though Hunk said he really wouldn’t need them until January. Unlike Hunk, Lance shopped often and knew for a fact by January, all the stores would be bringing out their spring fashion.

This was the first clear sky Lance had had on a day he was free to come to Shiro’s water tower and one of the few he would have now that he was helping out his fellow teacher with the soccer team. He didn’t want to lose these late night observations. Jupiter wouldn’t be in his viewable spectrum for another month, but he could get a perfect look at the cluster he was looking into. Lance glanced at the notebooks he had with all his written notations and equations. He enjoyed doing more of it himself even if he tended to have to redo it, but Pidge’s equipment was a real help. He’d have to print out all the information that was gathered as he pointed Pidge’s fancy homemade telescope in the direction of the cluster later to read through them, but he was sure they’d be exciting. He’d bet there was at least one planet orbiting one of those stars. Still, he liked being able to observe them himself.

Yet, Lance cursed the cold. He didn’t remember being this cold observing in Michigan. Of course, he’d had an actual school to do observations from.

Lance reached out for the thermos of tea he had brought when he was startled by his phone. His knee hit the desk in front of him causing everything on it to shake and the monitor he’d been watching blinked off. Ignoring Arturo Sandoval belting out jazz from his ringtone, Lance reached beneath the desk to the wrench Keith had hooked to a loose bolt as a temporary fix to the broken part of the crate that had fallen into his hay wagon. Lance tightened it then stood and shuffled over to his phone just as it stopped ringing. Lance sighed and picked up the phone going to his missed calls. It rang again.

The caller id said Mama McClain. Lance quickly answered it shuffling out of the water tower to the railing outside. It was warmer out. He walked up to the smaller telescope he had set up and started to adjust it with his free hand.

“Hey, Mama McClain, what’s up?” Lance asked.

“ _Lancito_ , is that how you greet me?”

Lance froze, his heart dropping into his stomach then flying back up going a mile a minute. “Veronica?”

A low chuckle echoed through the receiver. “ _Si_ , I’ve come up from Miami for a little visit. Got a break from NASA.”

“ _Donde esta_...?” Lance asked his free hand going to comb through his hair.

“Hmm, _Mam_ i?”

“ _Si,_...is she...there?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Veronica said and there was some rustling then a soft breath.

“ _Lancito_?”

“ _Mami,_ ” Lance said softly.

“ _No, no, Lancito, soy...Maria,_ ” the voice on the other line corrected. She sounded older.

“ _Mami_ ,” Lance said one more time before swallowing the word. That’s right, he wasn’t supposed to call her that. He was Lance McClain, not the nameless Dias she gave birth to. “Did Veronica bring you to visit?”

“ _Si, mijo, es Veronica_ ,” she answered.

Still not using English. Lance sighed and leaned against the railing. All her children were in America now. Most through schooling. “ _Donde esta Papa Dias_?”

“ _En_ _Cuba_.”

Right, of course he was still back there. How else would they afford the schooling for their older children without their father’s job?

“I...probably won’t be back for Thanksgiving. I’ve got soccer games to supervise. Mama McClain told you about that, right?”

“ _Si_.”

“I’m doing really well down here. Maybe I’ll even go on a date.”

“ _Si.”_

“I‘m sorry I missed you this time, Ma-Maria.”

“ _Si._ ”

Lance’s voice softened. “I miss you.”

“Me, too, Lancito.”

Lance let out a shaky voice. “Alright, it’s late. I’ll catch up another time. Tell Veronica I’ll text her. She needs to give me Luis’ new number, I want to see his kids.”

Before he could answer again, Lance hung up. He turned and leaned over the railing taking in deep breaths. The cold air felt good now. Heat was boiling up in his blood. Fear and anger. Memories of when he could barely speak Spanish better yet English down in Miami, memories of men at their door every other week asking too many questions while he hid in the closet with his parents.

His real parents.

Maria Dias wasn’t his mom.

Veronica wasn’t his sister.

Luis’ son and daughter weren’t his nephew and niece.

Those were the lies Lance had to tell himself every day of his life since he first landed on American soil. He was Lance McClain, Ana Dias’ and her half-Irish husband’s oldest child. His aunt’s child. The boy that would have been Lance McClain was dead and buried in the backyard of a poorly made house in the ghettos of Miami, born bluer than the sky. Born then dead within hours during a hurricane. Lance had rafted across a blue ocean only days before, just born, just alive, nameless. He was supposed to have been born in America, his siblings’ and his family's’ ticket here, but he had been born earlier than expected.

Because he couldn’t wait, he became Lance McClain.

Lance McClain.

Lance McClain.

A stolen name.

Lance McClain.

Lies.

He loved his four older cousins because they were closer to his age than the four adopted siblings Mama McClain picked up out of foster care not too many years ago, the oldest one just in middle school now. (He loved his four older cousins because they were his blood siblings). And his nephew and niece called him Uncle Lance because it made more sense than cousin. (Because he was their uncle and they couldn't know that.)

God, did he miss his mother, his real mother. He hadn’t thought he’d regret moving here, but he regretted not being there this time to see her. Veronica was stupid for bringing her, risking her important job like that.

Lance gagged as he took in one more deep breath, but managed to steady himself. He felt shaky as he moved to his telescope and adjusted the lens again. He peered through. He needed a distraction. He needed to feel small and insignificant because out there were countless stars and planets and who knew what else. A name meant nothing out there.

A name meant nothing.

Lance furrowed his brows as something dark suddenly covered his view of the sky. He readjusted the lens seeing something blurry and silver floating in the sky. Lights? A plane? It was too close for him to get a good view with the cheap telescope and the one Pidge had made him was pointing in the opposite direction. Lance pulled away and squinted into the dark sky. Something flashed hovering between two points before zooming off into nothingness. A bug?

Lance pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulder and leaned back against the tower as the silver speck reappeared, flashed, and disappeared again.

Well, Lance knew enough science to know when his body was telling him to turn off and on again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please look forward to next update! ^o^


	8. “..., Then The Leaves Are Whirling Fast.” -- Sara Coleridge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update Dec. 13  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ^.^

**8\. “..., Then The Leaves Are Whirling Fast.” -- Sara Coleridge**

Game day had Lance in a windbreaker, hands firmly pushed into his pockets as he watched from the bench as the girl team rushed from one end of the soccer field to the other. They were good, but it was hard to score even a single goal in soccer. And with the pressure of the boy's game, too, Lance really understood how much Shiro needed an assistant coach. Even if they had teased him, Lance was grateful to the captain and vice-captain. Shiro had left half the coaching to Lance when it came to the girls' team so he could focus on their boy's team in hopes of getting both teams even.

Actually being out here made Lance realize how out of practice he was with the official rules and works. They were reaching close to the end of the first forty-five-minute slot. Lance wished the weather hadn’t warmed up. Though it was cool where he stood, he knew it wasn’t cool enough for all the running the girls were doing to be worth the warmth, but adrenaline was a savior as far as heat was concerned. Currently, both teams were tied at one point. The opposing team kept trying to kick the ball onto their side of the field for a score, aggressively so, but they were always stopped leaving room for a good long kick to give advantage to Arus and set up a shot. Arus would have more points if it wasn’t for the fact the opponent’s goalie was good. She had screamed when they got their only score, stamping the ground and Lance thought he saw one of the referees starting to pull out his cards. She settled back quickly and the game continued.

Watching the volley of the soccer ball now out in the middle of the field, Lance was sure no one would be scoring again before halftime. Shiro was intently watching the game, throwing a few signals to the captain, underarmor sleeves rolled up above his elbows and a whistle hanging around his neck with a pen clipped to the lanyard. He looked like a coach. Lance grinned and nudged the water cooler beside him. It felt full still. He glanced back to the stands looking around at the students and other onlookers gathered on their side of the field. More than Lance would have thought. Less than what gathered for the games in his Michigan school, but considering soccer wasn’t the favorite sport up there, the percentage was definitely larger. Off to the side, Lance caught Hunk and Shay cuddled together with a blanket wrapped around them. Hunk was feeding her cheese fries which was fucking adorable. Below them sat Pidge and her brother who Lance had met only in passing since his first introduction to him via walking in on a video call some years ago. He was pale with long hair and a scar on one cheek. He looked tired and talked like he was forcing himself to sound happy. Pidge did say he had gone through an incident with Shiro, whatever it was that had loss Shiro's arm. A few rows above them sat Allura laughing and cheering with Romelle.

From the front gates, Lance caught a blur of red and turned to see Keith entering. He had on a leather jacket that reminded Lance of one Michael Jackson might wear. Only half his hair was pulled up in a ponytail, a few clips holding some of his bangs back though they still fell into his eyes at the top. His usual red plaid was wrapped around his waist and Lance swore that he was wearing leggings not pants with how tight they looked. For once, Keith wore literal cowboy boots. Except they were black, and the stitching was in skull patterns. And there were studs.

The fucker knew! He knew!

Emo Cowboy Keith was legitimate!

Lance was going to call him out on it the moment halftime came.

With a whistle from the referees and an announcement over the intercom, halftime came before Lance realized. He popped up and walked over to Shiro where the team was already gathering.

“You girls are doing so good. We need to get another point and make sure they don’t. Get some water, do some stretches, I don’t want you too cooled down before the next half begins. It will be a real all out fight then,” Shiro said.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lance added. “I saw some really cool shots out there, but just try for the goal. Their goalie is good, but if we can get one shot in, I think we can get a second while she’s still throwing a fit. Just an observation.”

“A good observation. If one shot gets in, try for a second as soon as you can,” Shiro said. “Now, go hydrate.”

The girls began to line up at the coolers. A few went to the sidelines for a quick conversation with family and friends. Lance lingered for a moment glancing over to the snack bar.

“You can go to the stand if you want,” Shiro said. “You’re not technically a coach, you don’t have to stay down here.”

“You sure?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, go talk to the others. Tell Matt hi for me.”

Lance nodded and headed to the stands. He slid up next to Pidge who immediately tried to nudge him off the bench.

“Hey, nerd, stop!” Lance laughed.

Matt chuckled next to Pidge and reached out a hand. “Hey Lance, sorry about her. We were making bets and she lost. You know how that puts her in a sour mood.”

Lance rolled his eyes and shook Matt's hand. “She makes bets with you, too?”

Matt grinned. “Who do you think got her in the habit?”

“Right, well Shiro says hi,” Lance explained.

Matt’s face softened and he turned to look out at the field. “Yeah, I’ll talk to him before the next game starts. I told him it would be warmer than what the weather said, but I have to report the readings the machines at work make, not the ones from my own inventions.”

“Right, you're a meteorologist,” Lance asked. "That must be pretty cool."

“Yeah, it can be. I love space an all, but our own planet can be pretty interesting, too. I mostly work for the morning show. I’m guessing you don’t watch that early,” Matt said grinning.

Lance looked away. “I don’t turn on my television that early. I just check my phone.”

Matt nodded. “Most do nowadays. My job works, either way, I'm not the weatherman, though I do think I have the face for it.”

Lance winked. "I'd watch television just to see you."

“Ugh, you can talk about your boring weatherman job later," Pidge complained. "I owe you cheese sticks, let's get this over with. The line is already going to be long we should have gone with Keith.”

Right, Keith wasn’t over here. Lance spotted him at the front of the snack food line. He didn’t want to walk that far. Instead, he looked towards Allura. Romelle had stood up and was heading off towards the line as well.

“I’m going to go talk to my boss now,” Lance said.

“We’ll see you after the team wins,” Pidge called after him.

Lance was careful as he climbed up the bleachers. Allura was still looking in the direction of Romelle when Lance stepped up in front of her. Her face lifted up in a scowl before turning into a look of a pleasant surprise. She smoothed out her skirt as she greeted him.

“Hello, Lance.”

“Hello, Boss Lady,” Lance greeted back and plopped down on the spot next to her. “You and Romelle are pretty close, huh?”

“Well, yes, she’s a distant cousin of mine, but my very best friend,” Allura said. “Did you two meet?”

“Yeah, I went to a club with Pidge. I promise I didn’t hit on her. She’s gorgeous, but not my type,” Lance said.

Allura sighed. “Yes, it seems a lot of people find her gorgeous, but not their type. I don’t understand why. She’s a wonderful lover.”

Lance raised a brow. “You know what kind of lover she is?”

Allura clicked her tongue. “A distant cousin. We had made a pact.”

“Wow, okay, but I thought you had something going with Loreal.”

Allura narrowed her eyes at Lance. “Lore...Oh, Lotor? Ah, well…”

Allura’s expression dampened and she looked away. “We really shouldn’t be having these kinds of discussions, Lance.”

“Why not? We can be friends. My friends are already your friends. Besides, I’m a great listener. I love gossip and I can keep a secret better than a lock can keep a treasure, promise,” Lance said and made a crossing motion over his heart.

Allura sighed again. “I wish I could make friends outside of the other faculty members. Well, it is true that there are...feelings...between Lotor and me, though those feelings have not been formed into words. We are still very professional in our advancements. I would like to open myself up to Lotor, but there are parts of his private life he is very secretive about, in particular where it has to do with his family.”

“So, you’re not sure you can trust him?” Lance asked.

“I suppose that is it. Romelle is the only blood family I have here other than my father and mother and her acceptance is important to me. She doesn’t trust Lotor and she won’t tell me why. I’ve got the silly girl calling him an alien.”

Lance laughed, but less because he thought Allura’s words funny and more from the twist they made of his guts. He suddenly felt sympathetic towards the man and he didn’t want to be sympathetic to Lotor on principle. “Right, well maybe she’s right. Or maybe he has a reason for not telling you. He shouldn’t have to tell you everything before you two date.”

“Why Lance, I didn’t think you cared for our honored board member so. I thought you were jealous.”

Lance scoffed. “Oh, Allura, you’re beautiful, but I know when someone isn’t available to me. I won’t wait around for that. I don’t know Lotor, like, at all. Maybe he is an alien. He’s just kind of creepy in his perfections.”

Allura giggled. “Ah, but he does look perfect, doesn’t he?”

Lance bobbed his head eyes catching on a glimpse of red rounding the bleachers. “Well, I can’t say he isn’t hot, but I’ve see hotter. Excuse me, Allura.”

Before Allura could respond, Lance rushed down the bleachers and jumped off right in front of Keith. The other man took a step back, eyes wide in surprise clenching tight to a thing of cheese fries, a red Gatorade falling from his other hand. It rolled against Lance's foot and he picked it up handing it back to Keith grinning.

“You better be glad that wasn’t my fries,” Keith said glaring at Lance and pushed past him to take a seat back on the bleachers.

Lance stood in front of him, arms crossed, grinning. “I would have bought you more. You were late to the game.”

“I do have responsibilities other than being my brother’s lunch deliverer,” Keith said and popped a few measly covered fries in his mouth.

“Right, speaking of lunch, you didn’t bring any,” Lance whined.

Keith looked up at him mid-bite and had the audacity to look ashamed. Eyebrows furrowed, he glanced at his fries. “I...I can buy you some cheese fries after the game if you want.”

Lance smiled and leaned down. “Give me a bite of yours and we’ll call it even.”

Keith held out the carton, but Lance only leaned over further and opened his mouth. He felt pleased seeing the pink that flushed across Keith’s cheeks when he got the hint. Picking up the fork, Keith stabbed a few of the cheesier ones and held it out to Lance. Lance leaned in and took up the bite humming in approval.

“Were they good?” Keith asked.

Lance swallowed and winked at Keith. “Best bite I’ve ever had. I should have you feed me forever if it can make vendor food taste like bliss.”

A frown crossed Keith’s face, but he didn’t look angry. Lance was about to tease him more when he heard the announcement from the speakers that the next half was starting.

“Well, I have to get back on the field. Cheer for us?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, of course. I don’t even know who the other team is.”

Lance chuckled shaking his head and started back for the field. “Nice shoes by the way.”

“You have cheese on your mouth,” Shiro said when Lance joined him again.

“Keith fed me his fries,” Lance said smirking.

“That boy has never shared his food with me,” Shiro grumbled.

And if that didn’t make Lance feel smug and all sorts of warm inside then the fact their team was the first to gain a point in the second half sure did. It was the vice-captain that did, dirt smearing up her leg as she slid along the dirt to kick the ball out from beneath an opposing team’s block kick. The goalie hadn’t expected the turnaround. They had just tried to get it in and it hadn’t gone. The ball was slow, but the goalie was looking the other way and it was already past her before she started reaching back for it. It touched the net before her fingers touched it. A timeout was called to access that it was indeed a legitimate point. When the referees announced it was, the bleachers were in an uproar.

The next point was gained by the opposing side. Lance was screaming out at the girls, adrenaline pumping in his veins. They were doing so good, but it was so close. The opposing team had just been taking the ball over and over, trying for kicks, without their team getting back to the other side. They were only one point ahead and no one wanted over time. And draws weren’t any fun.

“Go, go, go! Kick them in their fucking faces if they don't get out of the way!”

Lance turned hearing the deep raspy screaming. In the stands, Keith stood on the bleachers waving a huge light up sign. His jacket was gone showing his shirt to actually be a tank top and thank God this was Texas or else Lance would never get to witness those guns in November. Pidge stood beside him, another sign in her hands with wiring hanging off and a screw in her mouth like she’d been working on them, pulled on Keith's flannel still tied around his waist until he fumbled back down in his seat beside Pidge. They argued until someone behind them shushed them.

Fuck, Keith was adorable.

Lance turned back to the game just in time to see one of their girls make a straight rush towards the goalie of the opposing team. Two girls from the other team rushed to block her and the Vice-Captain slid in between them kicking the ball away. It popped up into the air and suddenly another girl had it. She popped it up with her head and the first girl slid around the two blockers as if going for the ball. The goalie shifted in her direction. The second girl fell backward rubbing her head as the ball instead went straight and hit the net.

There was silence for a moment.

A whistle blew.

The timer stopped.

Screaming.

Lance turned to Shiro, arms raised in the air. “Shiro! Did you see that? That was some sick shit!”

Shiro groaned. “Lance, language.”

“Dude, sorry, but our girls are amazing.”

“Yeah, yeah they are,” Shiro agreed, a fond smile on his lips as the celebrating girls slowly rounded back up with them.

Lance held his arms out. “Alright, everyone, group hug! I’m so proud. This is my first game and you did so well.”

The girls came around for a hug, a few of them crying. It was a good start to their season.

Once the farewells were made to the other team and the locker room talks were over, all girls headed back out to meet with their families or get a last minute meal, Lance started out as well. The area around the gym was dark. As he rounded the corner, he was startled by a figure leaning against the wall of the gym staring out at the empty soccer field. Lance noticed the skull embroidered studded cowboy boots first then ran up the lithe figure of Keith finally coming to admire the way the shadows of the gym framed Keith in a bad boy beauty. But, he wasn’t really a bad boy, not if he could hold such a soft look in his eyes.

“Those boots must have been expensive,” Lance said.

Keith didn’t even turn to Lance, just grinned. “Probably. They were a joke present from Matt. I try to wear them when he’s around, make him laugh.”

Lance leaned up against the wall beside Keith. “I bet you actually like them.”

“I do.”

Silence fell between them. Lance slapped at an itch on his neck and hoped a mosquito didn’t get him. “You waiting on Shiro? He may be a while.”

“Maybe, or maybe I was waiting on you.”

Keith’s words thrummed at Lance’s heart, but it was only the start of a melody Lance was still nervous to play. He hummed softly as he considered his next words.

“We won.”

“So I saw. They did good. You did good. I know you helped coach them, Shiro talks highly of you at home,” Keith said.

“He’s a good man,” Lance said. “So are you.”

Keith chuckled. “I don’t know about that. Not everyone can be a saint.”

“I don’t want a saint, but I would like to get to know you better.” Lance turned to look at Keith.

Keith had his head rolled to the side so he was looking at Lance, patience in his eyes. “Yeah? Me, too.”

Lance licked his lips then held out a hand in the space between them. Keith easily slid his into it, fingers lacing. Lance met his eyes again.

“Want to go out on a date with me?”

Keith smiled, turning his head downward and peaking up at Lance through thick lashes. If the bangs framing his face hadn’t been pinned back, Lance didn’t think he would have caught the shy look. He may have not even caught Keith’s soft answer.

“Yeah, yeah I do.”

☆

Lance showed up at _Hunay’s_ the next weekend with wet hair glaring back at a family all wearing the same shirt. He stumbled up to the counter, hands smacking against the glass and groaned until Hunk turned around from the coffee he was making to entertain Lance.

“Black Friday traffic?” Hunk asked.

“It’s Saturday, Hunk, why are they still shopping?” Lance asked groaning.

Hunk just shrugged. “Can’t help you there. Be glad the planetarium is even open today.”

“I should have waited until next weekend for a date,” Lance mumbled and checked his phone.

“I don’t think you’ll be saying that when you see Keith.”

Lance looked up from his phone. “He’s here already?”

Hunk gestured towards the side of the cafe where the family bathroom door was. “Didn’t you know? I was wondering why he looked a bit antsy that you were running late.”

“By like fifteen minutes, Hunk, give me a break. Ah, but...you know, I don’t actually have his phone number,” Lance realized.

Hunk laughed. “Then how did you even organize this date?”

“Well, we’re neighbors. He catches me when I head to the water tower sometimes,” Lance said.

“That sounds romantic,” Shay commented walking out from the back with a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. She nudged Hunk as she passed and the soft look they shared had Lance’s fingers tingling with anticipation.

He was going on a date with Keith Kogane.

A date with a hot boy.

Man, it had been a while since he went on one of those.

“By the way, Lance,” Hunk started, “I really hope your date goes well. Keith’s a good guy, but kind of awkward, so be gentle.”

Lance winked. “Aren’t I always?”

“We’ll see,” Hunk said and nodded towards the bathroom again.

Lance turned just in time to see Keith walk out and his chest clenched. Keith had a red beanie on, but Lance could see little braids sticking out. He had on an overlarge black sweater that slipped off one shoulder when he tugged at the bottom, and then the plaid pants from the club and plain black shoes. He held the shoulder straps of a small backpack style bag in one hand shaped like a flame. A cartoon character? Lance felt like he’d seen that one before. Keith pulled his arms through it and looked up. They met Lance's and grew large with surprise, lips parting in a gasp.

“Oh, hi, you’re here,” Keith said and straightened up walking over to plop down on the booth seat next to where Lance was leaning.

Lance didn’t respond right away looking Keith over once, a small smile growing on his face. “Wow, you actually don’t look like an emo cowboy right now. You’ve got some style, Keith. Nerdy, but it’s cute.”

Oh, that made Keith blush. The color was more obvious with how pale he was and Keith looked away. Lance pressed his lips feeling proud of himself.

“It’s cute?” Keith asked.

“Yep!” And Keith was cute, but Lance held himself back from teasing the other. This was a date, he could be annoying later.

Keith glanced at Lance and smirked, voice low, a soft purr. “You don’t look too bad, either, sharpshooter.”

Lance had tried. Skinny torn jeans, sneakers, a white button up under an oversized sweatshirt that had a huge planet and **Give Me Space** printed on it in metallic silver. Casual, but fitting, he had thought. He shrugged. “Thanks.”

“Where are we going?” Keith asked.

Lance stepped away from the counter and held out a hand to Keith. “It’s a surprise. Since I’m new to the area, I thought it best if I didn’t tell you until we got there.”

Keith stared at Lance's shirt for a second before smirking and taking Lance’s hand. “Sure.”

Lance was positive Keith had figured it out, but tangled their fingers together anyways and waved back at Hunk and Shay as they left the cafe.

Across the street, Keith’s bike was parked next to Lance’s jeep. Lance tugged him over to the passenger side door of his car and pulled the door opened, reluctant to let go of Keith’s hand, but he could hold it again later. Keith hadn’t complained once about doing that. Lance shut the door behind his date and hurried to the other side. It was the afternoon and there wasn’t a lot of time left until their show in the planetarium. Lance tried not to make it obvious he was in a hurry as he drove the twenty minutes it took to get to Altea. Another ten minutes and they were parked and rushing to the planetarium just as a cold wind began to pick up and Lance regretted leaving his jacket in his jeep. The inside was chilly as well, but Lance pushed the armrest between Keith and he up as they took a seat in the middle back section and scooted close to him. There weren’t a lot of others there which was probably why the tickets had been half off. Most of the students had gone back home for the Thanksgiving holiday or were out shopping with friends and family. It was mostly parents with young children finding something for them to do on their days off. They were lucky that no one sat too close to them, most going for front seats, not that there really was a front in a planetarium.

“What’s the show on?” Keith asked settling in.

“Other stars, other galaxies. What’s beyond,” Lance answered.

“Aliens?” Keith asked.

“Maybe.”

No matter how many times Lance had gone to a planetarium, he was still amazed by each show. Space was just so cool and vast and amazing. It was beautiful. He wondered how many more years it would take before they could even reach the outer ring of their own universe. What was out there? Was it amazing, was it awful, was it both? Humanity wasn’t ready for it, though, they could barely come up with a humane way of regulating border passage in some of the most advanced countries, how would they ever regulate outer space traffic, too?

“It feels like I should be there,” Keith said softly.

Lance turned away from watching the ceiling to glance at Keith. The light from the display painted little constellations on his skin, though faint and mostly shadowed. “What do you mean?”

“Do you ever feel like you don’t belong? Like this isn’t your life?”

“All the time,” Lance said all too truthfully. He turned back to stare at the stars on the ceiling. He could feel Keith looking at him now, studying him.

Keith turned back. There was a shift and the stars zoomed in. Keith lifted his hand and pointed to a section to the left. “Far out there, that’s where my father is.”

“Heaven?” Lance asked.

“No. If heaven exists, it’s not in our plane of existence. No, I mean the stars. All the reports say my father, Shiro, and Matt were abducted by a psychotic serial killer, but he was never caught. Shiro and Matt just reappeared one day in really bad shape. They were abducted by aliens. Shiro tells me he only really remembers escaping and it’s hazy because he was in pain from losing his arm. My father and other aliens helped them. Matt knows more, but whenever he thinks about it, there’s a fifty-fifty percent chance he’ll break down. No one believed them. They knew no one would believe them. They’re out there, Lance.” Keith’s voice grew thin and he turned to Lance again. “Do you believe me?”

Believe him? Lance wasn't sure what he was supposed to be believing. He'd only known through Pidge that Matt had been kidnapped along with Shiro some years ago. He hadn't known the severity of it or that Keith's father had been kidnapped, too. It had been something a long time ago and he didn't think he had the right to pry into Pidge's life when he hadn't even met her in real life yet. But, he knew it must have been terrifying.

Lance reached out and grabbed Keith’s hand pulling his arm down. He held his hand tight. He could feel Keith shaking slightly next to him and rubbed his thumb along glove covered skin until Keith finally calmed down. “There are hundreds if not millions of planets out there, Keith. Do I believe it is extremely likely there is another civilization out there? Yeah. Do I believe they abducted those you loved? I don’t want to believe that, but I don’t want to believe the alternative either. The fact is, someone took your family, whether they were human or not, that makes them bad. And they got away with it. That’s the worse part. Sometimes, it would be better if it was an alien’s fault. If it was the fault of something else beyond our control But, then you could never get justice.”

Keith sighed and tried to pull his hand out of Lance’s, but Lance held firm. “It’s not that I don’t want to believe you, Keith. I’m open to being convinced. But, I do believe in aliens.”

When Lance loosened his grip, Keith slipped his hand free, but shifted and leaned his head against Lance’s shoulder. “I...did not mean to dump all of that on you. But, you took it better than I thought you would.”

Lance frowned and reached up in the dark to try and grab at Keith’s face, maybe stroke his chin softly. Instead, he got Keith’s nose, but he was committed to the affectionate gesture and stroked it anyway. “I’m sorry if this triggered you.”

Keith’s hair tickled against Lance’s shoulder as he shook it. “No, I like stars. There’s good in them, too.”

“They’re pretty,” Lance said.

“Your eyes are pretty.”

Lance was stunned for a moment before half a laugh rang out in the planetarium, loud and joyful, before he could hold it back. They got a shush from a mom down in front of them. Keith giggled beside Lance, face buried in his shoulder.

“Your romance tactics are sneaky, Keith Kogane,” Lance whispered still laughing.

“I was just stating, fact, lover boy.”

Lance sighed, the laughter dying down. “The fact we’re both friends with Pidge means you have way too much in your arsenal on me. I’m excited to see what all you’ve got.”

When the show was over, they walked shoulder to shoulder around a small museum set up in the hallway until all the other show goers had left. Then, Lance took Keith’s hand and led them out. The wind had lowered the temperature, but it wasn’t windy anymore. Lance shivered and stayed close to Keith as they headed back to where he’d parked the jeep. He had planned to take his date to a nice dinner, but all the restaurants had been booked.

“What do you want to eat? The fancy places were all booked up, but we can go wherever you usually like to eat,” Lance said pulling out his phone.

Keith hummed then paused and pointed across the street. “I’ve never been to a Starbucks.”

Lance looked up seeing the familiar green logo then at Keith with a raised brow. “Really?”

“I usually just drink it black with sugar. It doesn’t actually wake me up or anything. I've got like a natural resistance to caffeine, but I like the smell and taste. I’m not really supposed to have dairy, either. Cheese is fine, but milk is iffy. I tried going to a cafe here once, but I...I looked at the menu and left.”

“Was it that expensive?” Lance asked.

Keith wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think so. I just didn’t want to make the lady at the desk explain all the drinks to me.”

Lance’s shoulder’s sagged and he kept the urge to reach out and pinch Keith’s cheek under wraps. Instead, he squeezed Keith’s hand.

“I’ll order,” Lance said. “It’s cold anyway. Coffee and pastries sound good to me.”

There were hardly any seats in the cafe when they walked in. Lance asked Keith to get them a table and said he’d surprise Keith with their order. After he’d picked them up, he found Keith in a corner where booths were placed, legs thrown over them, and glaring at a group of girls in line, one of which was glaring back. Lance swatted at Keith’s Legs and sat down beside him.

“Here you go. It’s got soy milk so you don’t have to worry about that. It’s their seasonal hot drink,” Lance said handing over Keith’s cup and putting his own on the coffee table in front of them. He then went to the bag of pastries and pulled them out. “I also got us each an apple cider donut and a snowman cookie.”

Keith immediately reached for one of the snowmen and bit its head off. Lance stared at him incredulously.

“You’re a monster,” he gasped.

Keith looked from the cookie then Lance confused. “I thought you said one was mine.”

“Yes, but you bit its head off!”

Keith grinned and dunked the bottom of the snowman in his coffee before taking a big bite of that, too.

Lance was horrified. He took his own snowman and nibbled off his hat first like a civilized person.

Keith turned in the booth to look outside the window beside them. There wasn’t a lot of traffic in the alleyway they were facing, but Keith seemed fascinated by something as he nibbled on the snowman.

“Did you spend Thanksgiving with Shiro?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded and finished off the last crumbs of his snowman before reaching out for his cup. “We go see his grandmother’s grave every Thanksgiving and have a picnic there. You spent it with Hunk and Shay’s family, right?”

“Yeah, Shay’s family is great except her brother, but it seems he and Hunk get along now. They’ve got some weird food, but it was good. Maybe next year I can see my family.” Maybe in Cuba or Miami, Lance thought. His real family.

“Does it snow there on Thanksgiving?” Keith asked.

“Snow, hmm, sometimes. It snows a lot in Michigan,” Lance said.

Keith turned from the window and began to tear at the donut. “I like this one more.”

“Yeah, the snowmen were just for funsies. Is your drink good?”

“A little sweet, but it’s fine. More like hot chocolate. I like Hunk’s coffee more. You smell a lot like it. I like the smell of coffee more than the taste.”

“I smell like coffee? You said that before.” Lance didn’t think it was his cologne. He was pretty sure it was some basic soft cheap stuff, nothing that smelled like coffee.

Keith scooted closer to Lance and leaned in. His nose got up right against Lance’s collar and he took a deep breath before fluttering long eyelashes up at Lance with a grin. His voice was quiet and husky and felt like fire caressing Lance’s throat.

“You smell so damn good, Lance.”

Yes, okay, Lance was fine, totally fine. Smell kinks were a thing. They weren’t Lance’s thing, but he would absolutely let Keith lick coffee off his body if he wanted to. Probably not something Lance should be thinking about on their first date.

Lance reached out and tugged on the red beanie on Keith’s head. He leaned in with his own smirk so their faces were only a breath apart. “Calm down there, Kitten.”

Keith turned red in mere seconds. He pulled away from Lance and tugged his beanie down as if to hide his face, but it didn’t really work. He ended up taking it off and throwing it at Lance as he laughed.

“Why would you call me that?”

Lance picked up the beanie and twirled it on his finger. “You were sniffing me. Kitten is sexier than bloodhound.”

Keith groaned, but turned and laid down on the booth, head in Lance’s lap. He was still red, but if he was comfortable enough to lay like this then Lance was sure he hadn’t gone too far. Besides, the reaction gave him the thought that Keith had actually liked it.

Without his beanie, Lance could see now the little braids in Keith’s hair. They were randomly placed among the rest of his fluffy hair with a little red bead at the ends of them. Lance reached out and twisted one of the beads in his fingers.

“Who did your hair for you?”

“Pidge stayed over last night,” Keith answered. “She wouldn’t shut up about the date so I let her do my hair. I figured I’d cover it up afterward if it turned out awful.”

“It’s actually really cute,” Lance said. “I’m surprised she didn’t do something actually awful.”

“She said going on a date with you was enough punishment.”

Lance gasped. “I am hurt, betrayed! But, like...you did want to go on this date with me, right? I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot, but I thought we were getting closer. Like, we went skinny dipping and everything.”

Keith scoffed and reached up for his beanie. “You’re the one who had a problem, not me. I still think you’re an asshole, but so am I. Plus, I was fortunate enough to have known about you long before you actually moved here thanks to Pidge and Hunk.”

Lance was going to kick his friends’ asses. They hadn’t shared about Keith with him, but perhaps that was because Keith was a sort of a lone wolf. Other than the friends they shared, Lance didn’t think Keith had other friends.

“Plus, you’re cute,” Keith added.

“You’re cuter, Mr. Braids-With-His-Head-In-My-Lap.”

Keith turned and glared at him. “Shut up, Lance.”

“I’d say, make me, but I get the feeling you’d use your fist instead of your lips and I’ve seen you fight.”

A nice shade of pink settled across Keith’s cheeks again and he turned away. He reached out and grabbed a piece of donut which Lance was pretty sure was his donut, but he’d let that go this time.

Silence fell between them and Lance continued to play with the little braids in Keith’s hair while drinking his coffee with his other hand. Lance wasn’t sure if chilling in a Starbucks counted as a good first date, but he’d been on many first dates to know it was more about testing the waters and between two people who already knew each other, being comfortable was a plus in his books.

The doors to the cafe opened with a loud clang of the tiny bell above hitting the door followed by a group of rowdy teenagers being louder than the cafe itself. Keith sat up and stared over at them. Lance glanced over as well. They were all rubbing their hands up and down their arms or blowing into their hands complaining about the cold, about the snow.

Snow?

Keith was turned on the booth staring outside the window again. There did seem to be little white flurries falling outside and Lance checked his watch to see how long they’d been here. He’d finished his coffee a while ago. They’d been here at least an hour, Lance hadn’t noticed. He looked back to Keith who was already pulling his beanie back over his head and scrambling off the booth.

“Wait, hey, Keith! We’ve got to take care...of our trash,” Lance started to yell after his date, but the other man was already out of the door.

Lance rushed gathering their trash and threw it away before following after. It took him a moment to find Keith, but he saw the man in the parking lot next to his jeep gathering piles of white snow onto the hood of the blue jeep.

“Ah, come on, Keith, not my car,” Lance said coming up next to him.

Keith turned to Lance with furrowed brows then patted at the mound of snow. “I’m making a snowman, Lance.”

“You’re making…” Lance trailed off as he looked around. Yeah, he guessed this was technically snow. There was a build up on his windshield and the stuff was starting to stick to the ground, but it probably wouldn’t stay past the night. Still. “That’s the tiniest fucking snowman then.”

Keith frowned. Maybe it was a pout. It was definitely a pout. “It’s a snowman.”

Yeah, okay, Lance couldn’t argue with that face. Keith reminded him of the younger kids in his family when they came up to Michigan for the first time and he’d always been weak to kids. He held up his hands in defeat then moved around the jeep to gather snow from one of the bumper blocks in the empty spaces beside them.

“Here, I’ll help you,” Lance said and popped a large snowball down on the hood of his car.

“We can make two.” Keith plopped his own less shapely ball next to Lance’s.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen snow?” Lance asked.

Keith shook his head. “I’ve never seen more than an inch or two. Even that much was probably like ten years ago when I first moved in with Shiro. We built lots of little snowmen on the railing of the porch. They melted by the next day. That was in January, though. It never snows around now. If it does, it doesn’t stick at all, just some flurries.”

“I take it you like snow?”

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Not when it comes to the ranch. There’s too much I have to do when the weather gets cold. Kaltenecker is probably freezing, but the hands will get fired if they aren’t smart enough to take care of them when I’m not around. Don’t you like snow?”

Lance poked two fingers into the top ball of his snowman making eyes. “I’ve been living in Michigan for most of my life, I’ve gotten over snow.”

“Really?” Keith removed his beanie and pulled two of the red beads from his braids sticking them onto his snowman for eyes.

Lance could feel a soft smile on his face. He tried to hold it back. This was only their first date, he didn’t exactly want Keith to know how Lance was actually adoring him already. Sure, they didn’t get off on the best foot the first time and maybe Lance found him a little annoying, but once he stopped seeing Keith as a potential roadblock to a romance Lance knew wasn’t going to happen, seeing Keith as the possible romance was all too easy. After all, here he was with snowflakes in his black hair and long eyelashes with a pretty blush to his face from the cold concentrating so hard on making tiny snowmen...if Keith wasn’t the definition of soft right then, Lance didn’t know what was.

And he was on a date with this soft boy.

“Do you have something for the mouths?” Keith asked. “Or hands?”

“No,” Lance said and slid around the hood of his jeep to be closer to Keith.

Keith glanced up at Lance when he reached out and slowly placed a hand on Keith’s lower back. A few expressions crossed Keith’s face so quickly Lance couldn’t pick any particular one out, but they settled on determined as Keith turned to face him. Lance was careful about maneuvering Keith around his side mirror and against the driver side door. Slowly he leaned in closer to Keith. He could smell the coffee on his breath, but Lance had worse tasting kisses and it wasn’t a deterrent for wanting to kiss Keith. Keith licked his lips as Lance leaned in closer, breaths held back like he was nervous, but Lance fully expected Keith to knee him in the stomach if he didn’t want it. Just encase, Lance leaned in against Keith’s ear first.

“You’re seriously hot, Keith, did you know that?”

Keith chuckled. It was raspy, loud enough just for them. “Considering you’ve seen me naked, I’ll take that as truth.”

Shit. Fuck. Lance really wanted a better look. “I tried not to look too much, thought it was impolite.”

Keith hummed and reached up to wrap his arms around Lance’s neck. “Well, I certainly got a full view of you. I wasn’t disappointed.”

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Lance pulled away from Keith’s ear and looked down at him again licking his own lips. “I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed with your boyfriend, now would I?”

“Boyfriend? You think you’d get so lucky after just one date?” Keith asked, but there was a squeak to his voice like he was trying to stay calm and cool, but Lance could practically feel Keith’s heart beating faster and faster between them,

“Yeah? Want to?” Lance asked.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend, but sure. Kind of the reason we went on this date, right?”

Never had a...nevermind that was also not a deterrent even if Lance didn’t believe that for a single second. Besides, Keith had said yes, so Jackpot!

Lance lifted his free hand to the hood of his car and leaned in for the kiss only to pull away as something cold landed on his nose from the top of his jeep. He rubbed at it only to bust out laughing. The whole top of Keith’s hair was covered in snow and he was standing there with his hands out, mouth agape, horrified. That horror turned to anger when his gaze moved to Lance.

“I promise I didn’t do that on purpose,” Lance yelled. He was trying to kiss Keith, why the fuck would he?

Keith reached out for the snowman he had made and grabbed a hunk of it making it topple onto Lance’s and they both feel over and onto the pavement. Keith started shaping the ball in his hand and stalked towards Lance.

“Keith no!” Lance begged backing up. “Darling! Kitt-oof!”

When Lance had wiped the snow from his face he found a grinning Keith, mischief in his dark eyes, with another snowball in hand. Lance reached down to a bumper block and grabbed a handful of snow. “You asked for this, Kogane!”

Keith’s smirk turned into a face full of joy. “Bring it, McClain!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, comments, subscribe.  
> If you're following my fairytale series, Look forward to one of those.


	9. “I Heard A Bird Sing…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, new chapter.   
> Next chapter will be Dec 27th and it's a loooonnngg one.

**9\. “I Heard A Bird Sing…”**

The chill of November’s end faded into a warmth Lance enjoyed. He always liked fall in Michigan and winter in Texas, though not as scenic, was just as pleasant. Being in the warm sun while a cool breeze blew through the trees made Lance feel warm and toasty. Toast sounded delicious. With butter and jam. None of which Lance currently had in his fridge. Today also wasn’t one of those warm toast-worthy days. Rain pelted down on Lance as he pulled up to the supermarket in Altea. He grabbed a cart as he casually began to walk around the store trying not to tally up the prices of his food like he did when he lived in the dorms. He didn't like shopping on a full stomach because then he didn't buy enough food and coming on an empty stomach had him getting too many things, but Lance was sure the weight the house payment he had just handed over to Shiro and the list of Christmas presents he had just ordered online would keep him from going overboard.

Bread, he needed bread.

It was as Lance was determining whether it was worth buying a smaller loaf of bread since the longer ones would go bad before he could eat it all of it even though it cost more that his phone rang.

“Short or long?” Lance asked.

“No hello?” the voice said on the other line.

“Hello Pidge, short or long?”

The girl sighed. “I'm not answering questions about penises, Lance.”

“I'm in a grocery store, why would I be talking about that?”

“Are you in the meat section?”

“Bread.”

“Unless you want that unhealthy white bread, the fancier bread makes better toast,” Pidge answered.

“Hmm, short it is then, I toast my sandwich bread,” Lance said and grabbed one with some nonsense about oats and wheat on it.

“You are way more cultured than I give you credit for, Lance.”

Lance narrowed his eyes knowing full well Pidge couldn't see him. “You’re a heathen that eats white bread straight from the bag, aren’t you?”

“I even tear off the top crust.”

Lance gasped. “That’s the only good crust!”

Pidge cackled before settling into a sigh. “So, anyway, I’m on a coffee break and wanted to see how you are.”

“Really? That’s all you called for? No weird human question you need answered by someone who doesn’t spend every day in front of a computer?”

“Nope, but speaking of coffee-”

“You’re the one that mentioned coffee. Shit, should I go to the coffee aisle?”

“No, have Hunk make you some and pay in advance. You and Keith are the only two that really drink his special blend. But, speaking of Keith, _I swear I’ll come over there right now and kick you in the shins if you interrupt me again McClain_ , how was your date?”

Lance grinned as he made his way to the frozen food section. “You called to gossip. You actually love gossip, Pidge, don’t you.”

“I like knowing things and knowing things means I need to know gossip. Now, answer the question.”

Lance sighed happily. Keith had brought lunches for both Shiro and he every day they had to stay for practice and once they had hung out together on the bleachers before Lance had to go to do recess duty because a teacher needed to leave early. There hadn’t been much time for Lance to go over to the tower with the end of the semester tests and grading coming up so they hadn’t been able to go on a second date either. Still, Lance thought they were comfortable enough with each other to just enjoy the small moments they shared.

“Keith literally works for you, how have you not asked him?”

“Honestly, you’re like the first person I’ve called in almost a week. Technically, I called my brother first, but he’s doing some weatherman stuff and didn’t pick up. I’ve been working on my final project for the semester and coffee just isn’t doing it anymore. I need something to wind me down so I can take a nap.”

“Katie Holt, you have awful habits, you know that,” Lance said and he pulled out two boxes of toaster pastries. They were on sale.

“Stuff it, McClain. No, but seriously, how did it go?”

“Good. I now have a boyfriend.”

Pidge whistled. “Well, that’s good news. Keith has been a pining ass for months.”

“Wait, what?” The door he had been opening slipped from his hand and slammed a little too loudly as it closed startling a nearby shopper.

“Yeah, wasn’t it obvious?”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “I might have not been looking at Keith right off the bat since we didn’t have a great start.”

“You were looking at Shiro, weren’t you?” Pidge asked and her tone was chillingly smug.

“I was looking at literally everyone, Pidge. I haven’t had a relationship in like a year. But, yeah, I caught on. I mean, he asked me to go skinny dipping one time.”

A loud laugh from far off echoed through the receiver. It was a few seconds before Pidge leaned back in gasping into the phone. “That is such a move! I need to give that boy a reward. I’m guessing you two did go skinny dipping?”

“Fuck yeah we did,” Lance yelled and glanced around. There was a very old woman on the other end of the aisle and a worker who looked like they could care less what Lance said. “Like I would pass that up.”

“Wow, for someone who has never had a boyfriend before, he sure has some big _huevos_.”

“Pidge, let’s ignore the fact your Spanish is embarrassing and go back to the first part of that sentence,” Lance said.

“What, that you’re Keith’s first boyfriend?” she asked.

“Yeah, I mean, how?” Keith was hot, so very hot, and fun to be around. And he was nice, if not a bit stubborn. Protective. Freaking prince charming in red plaid armor right there. “Isn’t he older than me?”

“By like a year, maybe. Or is it two? Doesn’t matter. Didn’t he mention this on your date?”

“Kind of. I didn’t want to press it, I was trying to get a kiss out of it.”

“Did you?”

Lance’s face reddened. “There was an incident with snow and we may have ended up having a snowball fight instead.”

And Lance had tripped. That was the only reason why Keith won. He never did develop ice feet.

“Well, like, I’m sure Keith has been kissed before. He’s gone on a few dates, but never more than one with any person and usually because Shiro pestered him into them. There aren’t a lot of people in Arus and those in Altea that aren’t students know everyone else in Altea,” Pidge explained.

“Yeah, I kind of got that he wasn’t a big people person.”

“He just doesn’t trust many people. Hunk is easy to trust or else they still wouldn’t be friends, either,” Pidge said then sighed. “If you want to know more, talk to Keith about it. He’s your boyfriend now.”

Lance grinned. “Yes, he is.” Inside, though, Lance thought he could understand Keith a little. “I promise to get him to trust me.”

“If you break his heart, I’ll hack your observatory down,” Pidge threatened.

“Noted,” Lance agreed.

“I’m glad your date went well, though. He has been listening to me whine about ‘Hunk’s childhood idiot of a friend’ for years now. He was even in the background during a couple of our facetimes. Don’t tell him, but he’ll melt if you speak Spanish to him.”

Lance chuckled. “Most do.”

Pidge let out a disappointed, “Lance.”

“Okay there, Pidgey, you sound tired. Next time Keith and I interact, I’ll give you all the juicy details in a nice long text, I promise.”

“Fuck off, McClain, don’t tell me what to do,” Pidge grumbled.

“Don’t argue, I know Colleen’s number.”

Pidge muffled a few more curses before giving in. “Fine. If I tried to threaten you with your mother, it would be a reward, so you win.”

Yes, it would be. Lance’s smile faltered. “Go take a nap, Pidge, you’re becoming more bitter than that death coffee which makes up most of your blood.”

“I’m going, I’m going. I hope you get soaked in the rain. Have a nice afternoon.”

“Love you, too, Pidge,” Lance said and hung up.

With arms full of groceries, Lance walked back to his jeep and placed them in the back seat ready to head home. Looking the way he’d come, Lance saw a group of police cars blocking off the area where some car seemed to have skidded off the road and into a light post. Lance quickly decided to go the other way. He still wasn’t really familiar with Altea as he didn’t want to pay for more gas than he needed to so day trips were limited. Unlike close to Detroit, public transit wasn’t really a thing here unless you were in the college. He put on his phone's GPS and began to drive through downtown. The roads were starting to flood so he drove slow not wanting to end up like that car. He got caught at a long red light and glanced to the side. There was a cute little boutique then an alleyway. Leaning next to a pile of crates was a figure. Lance hadn’t seen any signs of homeless people yet. He wasn’t naive enough to think they didn’t exist here or even in Arus, but he just hadn’t seen them in the same magnitude he saw them in Detroit or Miami. He was about to turn back to the lights when a familiar pair of boots caught his eyes. Boots like modern art, just blocks of red and black on white.

The light turned green.

Lance drove then pulled onto the first parking spot he saw. He grabbed a spare umbrella out of the back of his jeep and fumbled with a coin in the parking meter. Once it was set, Lance ran back down the block trying to open his umbrella on the way. He got it open just as he came around the corner of the alley and stopped. Those were definitely Keith’s boots, but Lance hadn’t seen Keith in anything like this before.

The figure had a black hoodie on and plaid flannel pajamas and was soaked from head to toe. Lance leaned down and reached out. He pushed their hood back and felt sick seeing Keith’s paler than normal face, eyes closed.

“Keith, Keith, wake up!” Lance called and slapped Keith’s face softly.

Those indigo eyes opened only to glare at Lance and push him away. “Go away, Lance.”

Lance pulled back and frowned. “What did I do? I’m literally trying to save you.”

“Why, because we went on a date? That doesn’t mean anything.”

That stung, but Keith’s glare moved to his hands, for once, not covered in his fingerless gloves. There were bandages all across his palms.

“Keith, what happened?”

Keith closed his hands. “Doesn't matter. You won’t care. You’ll tell me the same thing.”

Now Lance was really concerned. “What are you talking about? Keith, I’m your boyfriend, of course I care. No, scratch that, even before that, I cared. We were getting along so well. Come on, Keith.”

Keith just scooted farther against the crates.

Lance sighed. “Keith, please. You can’t stay out here. It’s raining. It’s been raining. You’re soaked through. Fuck, how long have you been out here? Those are your pajamas, right? If you get sick...I can’t stand that thought.”

Keith glanced at him, a little bit of the defiance leaving his face. Lance leaned in and touched Keith’s face. The other man gasped but didn’t pull away this time as Lance felt his cheeks and his forehead.

“Shit, Keith, you’re already burning up. Look, I don’t care if I have to carry you, but you’re coming with me out of this rain, got it?”

Keith scoffed. “Like you could.”

Lance stood up and held a hand out to Keith. “You’re not the only person in this relationship that can bench press another person.”

Keith pulled up his hood and took Lance’s hand. “Prove that to me one day.”

“You bet, wet Mullet,” Lance said and pulled Keith up.

With one of Keiths’ arms slung around Lance’s shoulder, both men walked beneath Lance’s single umbrella and started a slow trek to Lance’s jeep down the block. As they walked, Lance could feel Keith begin to shiver and he was a shaking mess by the time Lance fumbled with closing the umbrella and getting the passenger side door opened. He was quicker getting into the driver's seat. The road was pretty quiet, most of the shops closed on a Sunday. After blasting the heater, he turned to Keith and reached out for his hoodie.

“What are you doing?” Keith asked.

Lance frowned and grabbed the hem pulling it up. “Take off your wet clothes. You'll get warmer that way. Pants, too.”

Keith's eyes widened. “We're in the middle of the street.”

“No one's around, and if someone's so curious, you'll just have to sit there embarrassed as I explain to them how I found my boyfriend curled next to some crates getting hypothermia because he ran away like some dramatic teenager,” Lance said and got the hoodie free.

“How did you know I ran away?” Keith asked.

Lance raised a brow at his boyfriend as he removed his own jacket. “Seriously? Well, obviously you didn’t have any intention of staying away permanently. You didn’t have a bag.” He handed his jacket to Keith who had just worked his pants off.

“I was just angry. I’ve properly run away before, I know it was stupid,” Keith said. “Your jacket isn’t going to cover everything.”

“Boxers off,” Lance said and reached into the back of his jeep where a warm blanket lay folded.

“Why do you have that?”

“Old habit,” Lance answered. “Don’t question it.”

Keith handed Lance his wet clothes and Lance laid them across the back seat before pulling Keith over to him. His boyfriend was stiff at first but eased into the closeness as Lance started rubbing his hands up and down his arm to help warm him up. Outside, the rain started falling heavier and the wind picked up.

“I’m glad I found you before that started.”

Keith frowned and moved in closer to Lance. “Sorry.”

“Nope, don’t say sorry, say thank you.”

“Thank you, Lance. My bike is parked in one of these garages somewhere.”

“Well, you can’t get it right now. After you have a change of clothes and a warm shower, then you can come back for it. I’m not letting you out of my sight until then and I’m not heading home until the rain calms down,” Lance said.

Keith chuckled. “I’m only staying because you somehow got me naked in just your jacket and a blanket.”

Lance winked. “I’m a charmer.”

Silence fell between them. Lance watched the rain fall outside, trailing droplets on his windshield. Though the wind was high, there was still something calming about rain hitting glass. Lance had always liked the rain.

“I got in a fight with Shiro,” Keith said after a minute.

Lance only hummed in response.

“A couple of the hands on the ranch, they’ve been there a while, but they’re the newer bunch, they decided to throw my mother’s knife in a haystack.”

“So, you beat them up? Is that how you got those bandages?”

Keith lifted one of his hands and removed a bandage. Lance couldn’t see any wounds, but there were odd purple lines here and there.

“No,” Keith said softly and stroked the lines. “It’s the only thing I have of her anymore, I don’t remember her. She left and never came back before I could even talk properly. I went after it. It wasn’t just my knife they hid in that haystack, though. Ever heard the saying ‘like trying to find a needle in a haystack’? It wasn’t the needles that were hard to find.”

“ _Dios mio_! Keith, do you need to go to the hospital?” Lance asked.

Keith pulled off another bandage. “No. They were sewing needles, not syringes. Once I found my knife, I told them all to go home and went inside to deal with the blood. Shiro was at Matt’s until the middle of the night. When he saw my hands, he asked me what happened. He threatened to call the police.”

“I mean, yeah, that sounds about right to do. You’re all adults, that’s not a funny joke to play, Keith.”

Keith nudged his shoulder into Lance’s as he shuffled around against his chest. “I know, but I don’t want to get the police involved. They don’t like me. I don’t have the best juvenile record. Foster homes are shitty and few are in Arus, even Altea has slim pickings. I’ve been trying to get along with the ranch hands because we can’t keep firing them and we can’t just end the ranch, either. I...I said maybe it would be better if I wasn’t there and I left.”

Lance’s heart literally broke. Again, he thought he could understand the other man’s feelings. He held Keith close and placed his chin on Keith’s shoulder. “Keith, if you ever don’t feel right at Shiro’s. If you need somewhere to run to, come to me. Even if I’m not home, I give you full permission to break into my house. I’ll give you a spare key, even. Or steal Shiro’s.”

“I wanted to go somewhere Shiro wouldn’t find me.”

“My bedroom has a lock on it. You don’t have to open the door for anyone, I promise. You deserve to feel safe, Keith. An alley is not safe. That really scared me.”

Keith turned his head and nudged his forehead against Lance’s. Lance lifted his head so he was looking at Keith. The other man’s eyes were wet but soft. His cheeks were flushed from either shame or weather, but he still looked so pretty, so sad, and so something else that Lance didn’t understand until Keith’s lips were on his own. Keith’s lips were slightly chapped but pleasantly warm as they pressed against Lance’s. Lance hummed into the kiss and pressed back for a moment, savoring it, before pulling away.

“What was that for?” he asked, voice low, soft, not wanting to ruin the feeling still tingly on his lips.

Keith shifted, face staying close to Lance’s. He threw one leg over Lance’s lap and sat up, blanket coming loose from his legs. Lance’s jacket was actually quite long on him and Lance reached up to pull the hood over Keith’s head, not moving his hands away.

“It was a thank you,” Keith said, hands on Lance’s shoulders. He settled in Lance’s lap and moved one hand up to his hair, pushing back the damp locks then started to move in, just stopping short of their lips meeting. “And this one is to make up for the one lost in the snow.”

Lance didn’t wait for Keith. He used the hood to pull his boyfriend closer and took over the kiss. He was slow with it, only teasing his tongue until Keith gasped and that hand pushing his hair back tugged as Lance took a few seconds to truly taste Keith before going back to slow, but deeper. He pulled away with small pecks and smiled at Keith. Keith grinned back, lips a satisfying plump pink, and he laid his head laid against Lance’s chest. Lance pulled the blanket around them both and continued to watch the rain.

When the storm outside died down, Lance started back for Arus. He drove to his house and held an umbrella over both of them as Keith held the blanket around him even though there wasn’t anyone around who could see him if he walked in naked. Lance sat Keith on the toilet seat as he readied a hot bath and helped Keith wipe some of the grime off from sitting in the dirty alley for so long.

“Take a hot bath, just stay there until it gets cold. I’m going to do laundry and stick your clothes in with mine so you’re stuck here until that’s done at least, but I’ll bring you a change of clothes. They might be too big. I’ve got a broader back, but you’ve definitely got the bigger jean size. You’ve got a buuuuuttttt, Keith.”

“And you’ve got a diiiiiiiiickkkk, Dick. Don’t accommodate that in your pants size, do you?” Keith said and let Lance’s jacket slide off his shoulders as he moved to slide into the tub.

“Oh my god, Keith! Okay, sweatpants then. I get those big to accommodate my diiiiick,” Lance said and picked up his jacket and the blanket heading out of the bathroom.

Keith’s laugh echoed in the bathroom after him and oh what a beautiful sound. Lance was glad Keith was feeling better. Lance laid an old high school hoodie and some black sweatpants by the door to the bathroom and went about collecting his dirty laundry. He was just getting the first batch in when Lance heard a noise from outside. He ignored it at first and started up the machine before going out.

Darkness was covering most of the sky both from thunderstorm clouds and the approaching night. Lance glanced in the direction of Shiro’s grazing land. Between the clouds, just for a second, Lance thought he saw something silver. Then, a shot of purple scanned across the sky and Lance blinked. He rubbed his eyes, but nothing was there when he looked back.

A crash came from inside the house.

Lance hurried inside. He didn’t see Keith in the bathroom and passed by his bedroom before backing up. Keith was standing beside his bed staring at something on the floor. Lance walked in. There was a wet spot and a broken mug that had held wildflowers one of the girls in his class had picked for him at recess and he hadn’t had the heart to throw them away. And there were papers. Old papers. Datasheets and star charts. The papers from the shack Lance had pocketed and had started studying in his spare time. Keith reached down and picked them up.

“Hey, careful of the glass,” Lance said rushing over. He leaned down, but his hand was slapped away. Keith wasn’t looking at him.

Keith stood after a moment and held the sheets close to his chest.

“I’m not mad about the mug, Keith. What happened?”

“I'm mad,” Keith said.

“Why? Did I do something? I didn’t peek on you in the bath, I promise.”

Keith shook his head. “Why do you have these?”

“Those papers? Do you know what they are?” Lance asked.

“They’re nothing.”

“Well, they’re obviously something. I found them and was looking through them trying to figure out what stars those are.”

“They mean nothing, they lead to nothing, they’re nothing. I wouldn’t have left them behind if they meant something. But, that doesn’t mean you can just take something that isn’t yours!”

Oh. Well, Keith had a point. “I mean, yeah you’re right. I thought it was just an old shack, though. If you guys knew about it, I figured you would have torn it down by now.”

When Keith did finally look up at Lance, it was with venom in his eyes. “Don’t step foot on Shiro’s land ever again, Lance!”

“What, Keith?”

Lance tried to reach out for Keith, but Keith jumped onto Lance’s bed and then rushed out of the room and out the backdoor. Lance followed after him. The rain started back up and Lance had to slow down. It looked like Keith was going back to Shiro’s house. Lance hoped Keith was going back to Shiro’s house. It would be stupid of Lance to chase after his boyfriend in woods Keith knew like the back of his hand and Lance only wished he knew even Keith’s hand that well.

He sighed, went back inside, and texted Shiro.

☆

Keith went home. At least long enough to get his truck so he could get his bike, Shiro had texted. Over the next week, it continued to storm. Lance couldn’t go to his observatory when it rained like this. He couldn’t use that as an excuse to see his boyfriend. And Lance was too petty to just go over to Shiro’s and ask how Keith was doing. He still didn’t understand what had made Keith so angry. He said the papers were nothing. Obviously, they were something.

Usually, Lance loved the rain, but it made others moody. For the first time since starting at Arus, Lance found himself in the principal's office at the end of the week. Lance had never been a stranger to the principal's office as a student, and perhaps that was why the Garrison didn’t take him even though he was in the top ten percent of his class. Honestly, he had expected to be called in sooner as he had made himself a promise to not hide who he was, but Lance was worried over a new relationship and over the fact the boy’s team had lost their last game and really didn’t want to hear a homophobic old white man lecture him.

“Mr. McClain, have your classes been going well?” the principal asked.

“Yes, better than I could ever have hoped for. I think the students like me, or maybe just how I teach,” Lance said standing in front of the principal’s desk. No, he wasn’t going to sit. He hadn’t been offered a seat and he was taller than this man in his huge comfortable looking leather chair.

The principal nodded. “Yes, well, their grades are considerably better than last year, though the amount of homework you give them is unusual.”

Lance shrugged. “I give them everything during class and whatever they don’t finish they finish at home. I know they have homework in other classes and I want them to like science even when it’s not fun. I prefer projects.”

“Yes, and that is fine. However, it’s not your teaching strategy that I need to talk to you about, Mr. McClain. Someone has brought to my attention that certain words you use may have some of the other teachers feeling uncomfortable.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Which teachers? I don’t understand.”

The principal cleared his throat. “For instance, Coach Shiro. I understand you’re the assistant teacher of the soccer team, but that does not give you the right to be rather bold with how you talk to him.”

Lance raised a brow. “I talk to him the same as I talk to most of my female co-workers. You’re going to have to be more specific here.” He was going to have to say it.

The principal gave him a look then sighed. “You’re quite flamboyant when you talk. Takeshi Shirogane is a good man. Relationships between fellow teachers is a tricky subject and you should focus on that outside of school.”

Lance started to open his mouth to retort, but a knock from the door interrupted him. A head of long white hair appeared and Lotor glanced inside.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, principal, but we had a scheduled meeting to look at the budget for that new auditorium. Superintendent Sandor is already waiting for us. Oh, hello Lance.”

“Hi,” Lance greeted. He didn’t like the way Lotor said his name, it wasn’t like how Allura and Romelle said it at all, though somehow similar.

“We’re almost done. Mr. McClain, just keep your way of talking out of the school and focus on the children.”

“His way of...Principal, are you being unreasonable? You know I won’t support a school who doesn’t support acceptance. I hear Alfor is looking for a supporter for a new pool for his swim team. You don’t even have a swim team here.”

The principal’s face fell.

“I…” he started.

Lance sighed. “I’m not interested in Coach Shiro if that's what someone is worried about. He’s my friend and neighbor so we're comfortable around each other. Besides, I’m dating his brother, so don’t worry about it, boss. I’ll tone the flirting down if that’s what you mean.”

“I didn’t ask about your personal life,” the principal defended.

“Right, of course, you didn't. But, now you know so we shouldn't have a problem. Good day, boss,” Lance said and turned. Lotor glanced at him still in the doorway and stood aside for Lance to pass. Lance mouthed a thank you. Rich people and their money, but at least Lotor was on his side.

Lance laid in bed that night. He had bought two cups of Hunks’s special blend, drinking one so fast he burned his tongue and then sniffing the other one while he pined after his boyfriend and graded papers. Then when it had gone cold, he mixed up his own blend and rewarmed both, but neither were as good as the taste of Keith’s lips.

He’d screwed up. In multiple ways, Lance had screwed up. Lance had always been the type to fall fast and hard. He wouldn’t say he was in love with the mullet head, but he definitely liked Keith a lot and they were kind of friends, too. It wasn’t strange for Lance to pine for his friends. He pined after Hunk for months after his best friend left him in Michigan to go to their dream university. Keith was his friend and his love interest and he missed that stupid cowboy hat and a homemade lunch.

It was just as Lance’s eyes began to fall shut that Lance heard the knocking. He laid there a moment listening, but the sound wasn’t coming from his front door. He grabbed his phone to see what time it was and his eyes widened seeing the text messages blowing it up. He must have forgotten to turn it off silent after he was done grading. He checked the last ones as he started towards his back door quietly, walking blindly through his small house.

**Shiro [Yesterday, 6pm]: Have you heard from Keith today?**

**Shiro [Yesterday, 8pm]: Is Keith with you? He hasn’t come home yet. He was off the ranch.**

**Shiro [Yesterday, 10pm]: Lance, I don’t care if you’re deflowering him or something, just respond.**

**Shiro [Yesterday, 11:15pm]: Lance, I need you to help me find Keith. The police just came by asking for him. They haven’t asked for him since he was a teenager.**

It was currently just past midnight. Lance also had a few missed calls from Shiro. The knocking was louder and just as persistent, but not hard. Lance pressed his phone to his chest so the light wouldn’t give him away and glanced through the curtain in his kitchen to see outside. He only registered the color red before Lance was running to the door and pulling it open. Before him stood a roughed up Keith, eyes big and a cut on his chin. Lance immediately reached out and pulled his boyfriend into his arms.

“Oh my god, Keith! I had my phone on silent, but your brother’s been texting me for six hours asking where you were. He said the police came knocking on his door asking where you were. What happened?”

“Shit, the police already went to him? That means they’re probably coming here next. I have to go.”

“Oh, no you’re not,” Lance said holding Keith captive in his arms. “I haven’t seen you in a week and then I do and the police are after you? You’re explaining this, mullet.”

“I can’t right now. Just...come with me,” Keith said and pulled away grabbing Lance’s wrist to tug him outside.

Lance barely managed to lock his backdoor then regretted it when he realized he had left his keys in the house, but he could call someone for that later. They just made it to the tree line when Lance saw the red and blue of a police car driving up the road. It passed his house then reversed and pulled in behind his jeep. A hammering started up in his chest. Lance barely felt Keith pulling him deeper into the shadows telling him to be quiet, as he watched two women get out of the car. One was built like a truck while the other was skinny and agile with a long colorful ponytail she was rebraiding. They both had guns in their holsters. The bigger one knocked hard while the other one yelled then repeated herself in Spanish.

“ _Es la policía! Abre la puerta!”_

Lance’s chest tightened and he turned away from his house, crouching down behind the tree and holding his head as he tried to breathe. He remembered...he remembered his mother’s arms. He remembered hiding in a closet and police banging on their door just to have the wrong house. He remembered running through the back door with his father because a stupid cousin had gotten into drugs and the police were at the door. He remembered the last day before Marco got sick and they went back to Cuba.

His real mother.

His real father.

But, Lance was Lance, so he stayed behind. The fear was always real. It was still real.

Keith shook Lance gently crouched down beside him.

“Lance. Hey, Lance, they’re gone.”

Lance reached out and brought Keith into his arms hugging him tightly, face buried in his neck. He smelled hot and sweet like cinnamon. Sprinkled in hot chocolate. Sprinkled on churros. The smell of a home Lance didn't know. He kissed Keith’s neck tenderly. Keith shivered but brought his arms up to hold Lance back.

“Are you back now?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, sorry. I don’t like the police.”

Keith chuckled. “We have that in common. Can you stand? I want to take you somewhere.”

Lance nodded and stood. He glanced back at his house. The police car was gone, but he didn’t want to return right away encase those women were watching. Keith took his hand, fingers laced together, and began leading him in a familiar direction. It wasn’t a long walk to the shack. Lance had never realized how close it actually was to his house.

“This is my house,” Keith said.

Lance turned to Keith confused.

Keith let go of Lance’s hand and stuffed both of his inside the pocket of the hoodie he wore. A red one this time with a lion on the front. He was in his usual jeans so he didn’t run away from a fight with Shiro again. He had a soft face when looking at the shack. Soft and sad.

“I don’t remember a lot about my mother. She left when I was really young, but my father...we lived here. He worked for Grandma Shirogane, but he was also a volunteer firefighter. We didn’t make a lot of money, but Grandma Shirogane gave us this place for a portion of my dad’s wages and no other bills. I spent most of my time with Shiro or at school so it wasn’t sad or anything. Until Shiro and Matt were abducted. My dad heard it happening. He told me to stay here. I was half asleep so I did what he said. Then he was gone. And my brother and his best friend. Pidge and I looked for so long for them, but we were both children. We couldn’t do much. A year later, just Shiro and Matt came back. Grandma was very stressed for that year and for the years that preceded while Shiro and Matt regained themselves. She was already really old. When she passed, instead of leaving me with Shiro, a college student, the city put me in foster care. I ran away a lot.”

“Habits are hard to break, I guess,” Lance said.

Keith removed one of his hands and punched Lance lightly in the arm. Lance groaned and rubbed at it, but Keith was smiling softly, less sad. “I did some petty thievery, too, when I ran away. I always ran to Shiro. It’s why I couldn’t get into the Garrison. They tried really hard to get me in, too. I had all the connections and grades. But, I’m a delinquent.”

“You’re my delinquent,” Lance said and reached out pulling Keith to him. “I don’t like you standing over there, it’s cold.”

“Lance,” Keith groaned, but he didn’t fight the closeness. “I don’t know why those police were after me. I got in a little scuffle in Altea earlier on an errand. It wasn’t even physical, just some shouting. I didn’t threaten anyone with a knife or anything! But then there were four women walking toward us. Those policewomen were two of them. They wanted to talk, but both the other guy and I were done so we left, but they were following me. Even on the road. I didn't run red lights or break the speed limit, but they followed. I got a little scared and ran my bike off the road, but I ran it into Shiro's land so it doesn't matter. Any damage it got, I can fix.”

“Can you fix yourself?” Lance asked and poked a scar he saw on Keith's chin.

“Lance, I’m right here. Obviously, I’m fine.”

“I don’t know, you always look like a dream to me.”

Keith flushed, but he nudged Lance’s finger away and frowned. “Lance, I’m being serious right now.”

“I know, so I have to be goofy.”

Keith’s frown deepened.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe I’m still shaken up about the police thing. Continue.”

“I...those women, I’ve seen them around a lot. I think the other two are a lawyer and a judge. I was just out doing some deliveries for Pidge. I don’t know what they wanted, but I didn’t mean to make Shiro so worried. And I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry I ran out on you like that. I should have explained first.”

Lance turned Keith around and held him tight. He was cold and Keith was warm. He also just wanted to hold his boyfriend. “I’m sorry I took the papers without asking. They’re yours?”

“They were my dad’s. I think my mother had some kind of interest in space or something. She wasn’t american. I don’t know where she was from.”

“Probably not here legally,” Lance said.

“Probably not,” Keith agreed.

“Why were they in that shack then if they were your dad’s?” Lance asked.

Keith nuzzled his head against Lance’s shoulder and pushed his hands into his hoodie pocket between them, but they felt nice against Lance’s stomach especially when Keith was not so secretly touching him between the layers. He hummed.

“A tree fell on the shack a few years ago. I gathered anything worth anything. I have quite a bit of my dad’s research, but those ones didn’t make any sense. They were nothing.”

“Alright, I’m sorry I intruded on your space. You should tell Shiro you’re alright and see what those police women wanted with you.”

“Not right now,” Keith said and turned his head, nose against Lance’s neck. “I shouldn’t have avoided you. I missed you.”

Lance sighed and moved one hand up to thread through Keith’s hair. “I missed you, too.”

“Will you tell me about what happened a while ago? You were somewhere else.”

Lance grimaced and pulled his hand from Keith’s hair. “I can’t. I will, but not right now. It isn’t something that involves just me.”

Keith pulled away from Lance enough to look up at him. “Alright, I understand. Thank you for explaining.”

Lance grinned. “Hey, look at us, communicating instead of ignoring each other. Guess we still have some growing up to do.”

“Yeah, guess so. I never claimed to be an adult,” Keith said.

Lance began to rub his hands up and down Keith’s back. “You know, it might be easier to communicate with my boyfriend if I had his phone number.”

Keith laughed. “You’re asking for it now?”

“You’re my neighbor, I didn’t think about it. Plus, we have Shiro as our go between.”

Keith’s eyes widened in horror. “Shiro would do it and he would embarrass me.”

Lance grinned. “I want to see Shiro embarrass you.”

“Lance, please no. Can I just kiss you already?”

“Yeah, totally. Go for it, Kitten.”

Keith turned redder, but he had that determined look in his eyes. Keith leaned up the couple inches between them and Lance stepped back. The other man had a betrayed expression, but Lance only grinned. He moved his hands from Keith’s back and pushed them into his boyriend’s hoodie pocket. Their hands crossed and fingers laced. Lance used their connection to bring Keith closer and leaned down kissing Keith instead.

On a rainy winter night in December, Keith’s lips were sweet and warm and melted away the stress of the week. And Lance still loved the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it and here's a treat.   
> Sometimes I need to inspire myself to write and since it's that time of year I've found it fun to parody Christmas songs with smut.  
> Here's a Klance Red Nose Reindeer:
> 
> RuKeith the red cunt weredeer  
> Had some very shiny slick  
> And if you ever saw him  
> You would even say he thicc
> 
> None of the other weredeers  
> Thought he really was worth much  
> They never thought poor RuKeith  
> Would choose his own alpha to clutch
> 
> Then one foggy winter eve  
> Lance Frost came to say  
> “Rudolph with your cunt so tight,  
> Won’t you guide my dick tonight?”
> 
> Then how the weredeer cursed him  
> As he moaned out with glee  
> “Fuck all you knotless assholes  
> Lance Frost is going down on me!”


	10. “...In the Dark of December.” -- Oliver Herford

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter, Jan. 17th
> 
> I'll also have a fairytale out next month.

**10\. “...In the Dark of December.” -- Oliver Herford**

Winter break started on an early Friday. Lance didn't find himself at the airport until Sunday night after many hours of delayed flights. He had tried to get Keith to stay with him when his boyfriend had dropped him off, but Keith showed Lance the texts from Shiro complaining about all the hands calling in because of winter break and Keith hurried back to help his pseudo-brother. It would have been nice if Lance had gotten a flight with Hunk back to Michigan, but Hunk's parents were on a cruise, so they were spending the holidays in Balmera with Shay's family again. Coming home, though, was strange. Lance didn’t feel the knot in his stomach until he was landing having spent the past couple hours glaring at a kid a few seats in front of him who kept yelling and throwing stuff at the passengers behind him. The lady behind him kept stabby the back of the kid’s chair with the bottom of her pen instead of saying anything to the mother who looked like the type of mom who didn’t spend a lot of time with her child and figured his attitude was everyone else’s problem. It was enough to keep him distracted.

The familiar lights of Detroit brought with them dread instead of excitement. Lance was giddy to see his family again, but ever since Hunk had left, Michigan wasn’t the same. It wasn’t Las Angelas or Broadway, but Lance still felt like he was getting ready to put on a show. Since his birth parents returned to Cuba, Lance had been putting on a show. Michigan wasn’t home, not really, just like Cuba wasn’t really his home. He owned a house and land in Texas. Yet, even Arus wasn’t home.

Lance took a cab to the suburbs outside Detroit and walked down the cul de sac of a less well taken care of subdivision. At the door to a two-story blue house, Lance let go of the handle of his luggage and knocked once, twice, the third had him almost punching a woman in the face.

The woman stood before Lance, blue eyes matching his in wide surprise before turning into slits behind her rectangle glasses. She smirked. “Well, if it isn’t the baby boy home at last. You’re late, you know.”

“Delays,” Lance complained. “Who is all here?”

“Not the Cuban ‘rents, but the owner and the kids are here,” Veronica said.

Not their birth parents, just the McClains, but all the kids. Lance sighed. Time for the show.

The McClains had always spent Christmas in elaborate celebration. The house was decorated from head to two with tacky Christmas bobbles and smelled of sugar cookies. Some Christmas movie was playing on the television in the living room where Lance’s true niece and nephew were coloring while the gremlins Lance called his younger siblings were running around making a mess of the place. The younger two at least. One pre-teen sat reading a book while the other was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, you monsters, aren’t you going to greet your brother?” Lance called out.

All four children popped their heads up, eyes going wide. Lance spread his arms and found himself being bombarded by tiny arms and high pitched squeals between the laughs of ‘Uncle Lance’ and ‘Lance’. Lance gave each of the children a kiss on the head, only his nephew resisting. The older boy simply waved from the chair and gave Lance a rare smile.

“Uncle Lance, did you bring a cow back with you from Texas?” Lance’s nephew asked. Because he was an ‘older cousin’ it had been agreed that ‘Uncle Lance’ was appropriate, but Lance still felt happy they got to call him that at all.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Sylvio, how in the world was I going to get a cow on the plane? Also, it would smell awful. I would know, I live right next to a ranch.”

“How about a horse?” Nadia, his niece asked.

“No, but I rode a horse. The ranch has a lot of them. A big red one. And there’s a gray mare who is pregnant named Blue,” Lance said scooping up his niece.

Her blue eyes were big and she hugged tight to Lance. “I want to see.”

“I’ll ask Keith to send me pictures, alright?”

“Who’s Keith?” one of the gremlins asked, a girl with tanned skin and glasses

“Is he your boyfriend?” the other one added, freckled and blonde.

Lance rolled his eyes and placed Nadia down. “Actually, Razavi, Ina, he is.”

Lance’s younger sisters wrinkled their noses. Sylvio looked confused. Nadia giggled.

“Gross,” Razavi said and grabbed Ina's hand headed back to the living room. Sylvio followed after a second. Nadia hung around.

“You promise he’ll send you pictures of the horses?” she asked.

“Promise. There’s even a pony.”

Nadia gasped in glee and ran off after her cousins.

Veronica chuckled behind Lance. “As good with the ladies as always, Lancito. Ah, but you’ve got a boyfriend?”

Lance turned and practically threw himself at Veronica. “Oh my god, he’s gorgeous. I’ll show you later.”

“Us, too, us, too.”

Lance turned to see four more adults descending the stairs from the second floor. Another lady that Lance could have mistaken for his twin came up and leaned against his shoulder.

“Rachel, shouldn’t you be flirting with your art professor?”

Rachel laughed. “That was only fun when he was my professor. He’s actually young, but not as attractive when he’s not lecturing a whole class of confused young adults. I’m getting a major. I’ve moved on to much bigger and better things.” She winked.

“Rachel, please,” said a sturdy man with a goatee, “the children are right in the other room. Marco, come help me carry Lance’s luggage upstairs. He’s sharing with you.”

“What? I thought Sylvio was going to share with me,” Marco said, but winked at Lance as he moved past him to get his luggage. “Hey there, baby boy, good to see you.”

“Hey, Marco, Luis,” Lance greeted his real brothers.

Another woman moved up to Luis and placed her hands on his arm. “Luis is just tired of hearing Marco go on and on about this new Canadian girl he’s been seeing. Sylvio can’t possibly go to bed without a goodnight story from his dad and Luis will end up falling asleep there, right honey.”

“Lisa, please, the boy is old enough not to have a bedtime story,” Luis complained, but grabbed Lance’s bags and headed upstairs with Marco.

“I’m totally up for sharing mushy details about significant others if you are, Marco. We can do face masks while we gossip,” Lance called after them.

“Looking forward to it,” Marco yelled back.

“Well, you should go see Mama McClain. Papa McClain won’t be home until tomorrow, he also got a delay, a couple crashes on the way back up in the truck blocked the roads.”

Lance nodded and turned towards the kitchen.

Rolling out dough on a floured counter was a plump tan woman with graying dark hair wearing jeans a size too small, a nice shirt already stained from cooking and a black apron covered in flour.

“Mama McClain?” Lance called out.

The woman lifted her head, clear hazel eyes with freckles spanning across the dark circles beneath them widened then wrinkled as she smiled. She wiped her hands on her apron and moved to Lance bringing him into a hug.

“My Lancito, you’re home.”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Lance said and hugged her back.

Mama McClain pressed a kiss to Lance’s temple then pulled him over to the far counter of the kitchen. “How have you been? Have your fill of real Mexican food, or do you need me to give you Cuban recipes?”

Lance chuckled and leaned against the counter. “No, food’s been good. If I even look the tiniest bit skinnier, Hunk cooks me something, but my boyfriend brings me lunch a lot during soccer practices, too.”

“Boyfriend?” Mama McClain said frowning, but she forced a smile. “Ah, well it’s good he can feed you.”

Lance frowned and pulled out his phone. “He’s really cute. His adopted brother is the soccer coach and is my neighbor, owns the ranch I bought the land from.”

“Oh, getting in sweet with your landlord?” Mama McClain teased.

Lance grinned and held up his phone to a picture of Keith laughing at him wearing his usual flannel and fanning himself with his cowboy hat. Mama McClain moved closer.

“Oh my, he’s certainly a dreamboat. Got yourself a little cowboy?”

Lance laughed. “Ma, he owns a motorcycle, too. He’s the biggest contradiction of cliches, but I really like him.”

Mama McClain smiled and reached up a hand to run through Lance’s hair. “I’m glad you’re happy. You said he’s adopted?”

“Well, more like Shiro, my landlord, grew up with him like a big brother and got guardianship of him after some unfortunate circumstances befell them both. He’s good though. He’s got a big fluffy dog, see.” Lance held up a picture he had taken of Keith curled up with Kosmo in Shiro’s living room while they watched a movie last Saturday.

“That’s a huge dog.”

“It’s a good dog.”

“Lance,” Mama McClain said, voice sobering up, “Maria won’t be moving to America.”

Lance felt his chest fall to his stomach. He didn’t look up right away and pocketed his phone as his hands began to shake. “What about Pa...what about Mr. Diaz’s job?”

“He got a better offer in Cuba. Since all their kids are going to be able to stay in America now, they don’t see a reason to move here themselves. Things have gotten better there and it's easier for them to visiting visas now. Well, not all the time, but still. With Veronica’s position, it’s going to be too tricky to keep bringing them over illegally.”

Lance turned away. “So ...unless I go to Cuba I won’t see them again?”

“You can’t, Lance. It’s too dangerous.”

“Why not?” Lance turned to Mama McClain with fierce hurt in his eyes. He kept his voice low, but angry. “As far as the government is concerned, I’m Lance McClain, an American citizen. There is no other Lance McClain alive. That name was supposed to give me freedom, but all it’s done is kept me trapped in this gilded cage called America. I can’t even go to Mexico with this name? I can’t go to Canada? I can’t go to fucking Cuba?”

“Lance, please. You can see them again. Once things are settled, they’ll get a passport and they can visit whenever they want.”

“Yeah sure, I’ll see them,” Lance said and pushed away from the counter. “I only ever get to see them.”

Lance wrapped his arms around himself and sighed. Lance didn’t even remember his father’s smell because the man always stayed a few feet away from him even though he looked pained to do so because he was afraid of people knowing. His mother, god, Lance missed her hugs. He hadn’t been hugged by his real mother since the last scare they had in Florida when he was little.

Mama McClain sighed. “You’re right and I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry for taking you in. I...I was never able to carry a child to term except for that one time in the hurricane. He was a gift for the few hours he lived, but I wasn't meant to keep him. Being able to raise you, it opened my eyes and now I have all these other beautiful children. Children who need me. And I love them. I love you, Lancito, and I do consider you my son. You’re my blood. I have to protect you. I worry, can you blame a mother for that? Can you blame me for trying to keep you safe?”

Lance deflated. What was he supposed to say to that. He knew all of it already, but it didn't make him feel any better. He turned to pull the woman into a tight hug. “I’m sorry for making you upset on Christmas Eve, Ma. I know how much you love this holiday.”

Mama McClain patted Lance’s arm and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I know, Lance, I know. You’re suffering, I know. I...would you mind looking to see how James is doing? He’s been a bit distant now that he and Ryan are in middle school. I guess it’s hormones. You remember that age. You were a scrawny child, but you grew like a bean sprout.”

“Yeah, sure. Is he in my old room?”

“Yeah. I think he got in a fight with Ryan, they've been avoiding each other, but they're sharing the room since you and Marco are in the bunks in their old room. James pulled the straw on taking your old room when you moved out.”

Lance nodded and headed upstairs. When walking through the door to his old room, Lance expected it to look completely different. On the door instead of an obnoxious glittering blue light up sign reading Lance, there was a simple plate reading James Griffin-McClain like it was some attorney’s office. Inside, the pale blue walls were still there as were the star stickers he’d stuck to his ceiling and slowly re organized over the years to match his favorite snapshots of the night sky. The furniture was the same, that of which Lance didn’t take with him. It was definitely cleaner, though, and emptier. What surprised Lance the most was the beach mural of Varadero Beach still up in the nook in the wall where Lance had slid his full sized bed into. On that bed sat a brown haired boy tracing the waves.

Lance smiled and leaned against the door frame. “Hey, Griff, can I come in?”

James turned his head to glance at Lance then turned back. “Hello, Lance. You may enter.”

Lance frowned. He tried not to argue a lot with James. He was the last son the McClains officially adopted, but one of the older two. Though he got along with the others, acting like a leader that tamed their chaos, James was a bit of a goody to shoes and a pompous ass. But, he was loyal, that Lance knew having witnessed him defending their sisters and even Ryan who was bigger than him multiple times when Lance was busy with college. Maybe that came from him being from a money rich high society family that lost everything and fell to drugs in the span of a year. Lance walked over to the computer desk and sat.

“So, how is middle school?” Lance asked.

“It sucks. I keep getting into fights because the other students won’t shut up and follow the rules,” James replied.

Lance laughed. “Sounds like elementary. People have their own flow, different things they find important. You can’t expect everyone to follow the rules, Griff.”

“Like you?” James asked.

Lance made a face and spun in the chair. “I wasn’t the best role model I guess, but I got through college and I have a house before I’m thirty. I think I’m doing pretty good.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh,” Lance said still spinning. He missed this ceiling, he might have to redo the constellations in his bedroom back in Texas. “Something eating at you, lil’ bro?”

“I’m not your bro,” James said.

Lance stopped his spinning and raised a brow at James. “Sure you are.”

James stopped staring at the muriel. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “No, I’m your cousin.”

Lance opened his mouth ready with an argument, but stopped. He felt ice rush through his veins. “James, I--”

James glanced over to Lance. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I want to go into government or become a lawyer, so I have to keep it a secret. I looked up about it. I understand. It’s not like it’s your fault and you’re my family. You protect family.”

Lance stood up from the chair and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge and reached out for Jame’s hands. “James, I...this is really important, okay. Can you look at me?”

James turned his head. He was frowning, but Lance could ignore the expression, he could get James’ real feelings through his eyes.

“This is really important, James, It’s a huge secret. You can’t tell anybody. Not even Ryan. Especially not the girls, they're not old enough to keep a secret and Rizavi still has paperwork left for the adoption.”

“If Ryan knows, it’s not my fault, but he won’t tell anybody either. And he wouldn’t tell me if he did know. He probably thinks I would turn you in,” James said frowning.

Lance rolled your eyes. “We can talk about you and Ryan fighting later. Do you understand? You have to promise. I am Lance McClain. I have never had any other name. I promise you that much.”

For a moment, James looked sad, but his brown eyes grew stern and he nodded his head. “I promise. You’re my adopted brother, Lance McClain. It doesn’t matter what blood you have, right? That’s what you said to me when I first got here.”

Lance smiled. “That’s right. Blood doesn’t matter, we’re family. Hug?”

James made a face, but got on his knees and reached out for Lance. “Only because it’s Christmas.”

“Of course,” Lance said and brought his brother in for a hug.

When the girls had been put to bed and Sylvio carried to the guest room Lisa and Luis shared, Rachel and Veronica done fawning over pictures of Keith on the pull out couch, Lance followed Marco upstairs to what used to be Ryan’s and James’ room. They barely got face masks on before Marco as out like a light, not even waking up when Lance washed the mask off for him. Feeling refreshed and relaxed, Lance climbed onto the top bunk and pulled out his phone.

**Lance (11:58 pm):**

**Hey, Keith, it’s almost Christmas**

**Emo Cowboy (12:00 am):**

**It is Christmas. Merry Christmas, Loverboy <3**

**Lance (12:00 am):**

**< 3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3**

**Emo Cowboy (12:02 am):**

**Lance, that’s a lot of hearts**

**Lance (12:03 am):**

**I missed you a lot**

**Lance (12:07 am):**

**Did I embarrass you?**

**Is that why you’re not replying?**

**Keith?**

**My beautiful emo cowboy boyfriend?**

**Emo Cowboy (12:08 am):**

**Shut up Lance**

**Lance (12:09 am):**

**I’m not talking I’m texting.**

**Lance(12:10 am):**

**Did Shiro give you my Christmas present?**

**Emo Cowboy (12:11 am):**

**Yeah, do you have mine?**

Lance reached over to the headboard and pulled his jacket under the covers with him. He dug into one of the pockets and pulled out a small wrapped box. He took a picture with his phone and sent it.

**Lance (12:13 am):**

**I haven’t opened it**

**Should we open it now?**

**Emo Cowboy (12:13 am):**

**I already tore off the paper :/**

**Lance (12:14 am):**

**Go ahead and open it, Kitten <3**

**Emo Cowboy (12:14 am):**

**-.-**

**Emo Cowboy (12:15 am):**

……………………… **.I…..**

**It’s beautiful.**

Lance opened his own box and smiled, his chest warming up. Inside were a pair of cufflinks and a tie pin. They were an antique gold with a tiny Jupiter set in them and his initials etched in the backs. He lifted the phone to his face, let all the adoration he felt as he held the little box of jewelry to his face, and snapped a picture before sending it to Keith.

**Lance (12:20 am):**

**I love them, Keith**

**You remembered I'm studying Jupiter**

**Emo Cowboy (12:20 am):**

**Of course. I know about stars and I listen when you talk**

**I’m glad you like them <3**

**Lance (12:21 am):**

**Put it on. Send me a picture**

It was a few minutes before Lance’s phone buzzed. He looked at the picture then blew it up looking in detail at how his present laid against his boyfriend’s skin. Keith must have taken his shirt off or else it was hot in Texas for Christmas. Keith was holding the leather strap of the necklace so the fang shaped cut blue opal traced its point along his collarbone. The dim glow of the fairy lights in Keith’s room gave the jewel the look of starlight. It was beautiful, but even more was the man in the picture, dark hair feathered out around him and falling naturally around his face, indigo eyes half lidded, and the shadow of a smile playing on parted lips as he stared up at the camera.

**Lance (12:25 am):**

**Beautiful**

**Emo Cowboy (12:25 am):**

**It really is**

**Lance, this is so nice. I don’t know how to**

**Am I supposed to thank you? I haven’t ever**

**Thank you, Lance.**

**Lance (12:26 am):**

**I was talking about you**

**But you’re welcome**

**It looks good on you.**

**Thought you could use some starlight when I’m not around.**

**Emo Cowboy (12:27 am):**

**It’s not your eyes, but it’ll do**

**Lance (12:28 am):**

…………………… **.**

**Smooth, Keith, real smooth**

**Emo Cowboy (12:29 am):**

**;) I learned from the best**

**Lance (12:30 am):**

**You flatter me :D**

**Emo Cowboy (12:30 am):**

**I was talking about Shiro >:D**

**Lance (12:31 am):**

**You wound me**

**Emo Cowboy (12:32 am):**

**Goodnight Lance**

**Come back soon**

**I miss kissing your stupid face :x**

**Lance (12:33 am):**

**XD same here, Cowboy**

**I miss your kisses and your arms**

**I miss your eyes and you frown**

**I miss holding you in the rain**

**I miss calling your name**

**Lance (12:34 am):**

**You have a sappy boyfriend**

**I hope you knew this getting into this relationship**

**Emo Cowboy (12:35 am):**

**I’m not complaining**

**Lance (12:35 am):**

**I’ll see you at Allura’s New Year’s Eve Party, right?**

**Date?**

**Emo Cowboy (12:35 am):**

**Date :D**

**Goodnight Lance <3**

**Lance (12:35 am):**

**Goodnight Keith :x <3**

With a heavy sigh, Lance put away his phone and the little box with Keith’s present in it and settled down in bed. After a minute, he pulled his jacket to him. The smell of Hunk’s special blend was somehow imbued into it. Keith’s favorite scent. It lulled Lance to sleep.

☆

Apparently, Allura was some kind of heiress, a socialite, a real princess for all the difference it made. The point was, Allura was loaded. Lance knew the Arus elementary school vice principal lived in her family home in Atlea, but he didn’t know that family home was some futuristic three-story estate with an infinity pool that ran inside and outside the house. Lance had stopped by early to drop off a plate of churros he had made, picking out only the best ones, but he felt ridiculous even thinking about bringing food when he saw the spread Alfor, Allura’s father, had already had spread out from a catering service or their own private cooks, Lance didn’t know, but it looked top grade. Allura took the dessert, though, with a kiss to Lance’s cheek going on about a serving dish she had been wanting to use and how these would do perfectly for it.

Well, if no one ate them, Lance would take them home.

Lance changed in one of the many unused bedrooms. Apparently, lots of their family use to live there, but they grew up and moved out over the years. He briefly caught glimpses of Melenor, Allura’s mother, walking around with a clipboard. She looked so much like Allura. Eventually, others started to trickle in. Lance felt better when both the Holts and Hunk brought food, though for Hunk it was a given and his cookies could match up with any catering service. Shiro and Keith showed up with a bottle of wine and a wheel of cheese from their farm.

Keith.

Lance had only arrived home a day before the party hanging around his family as long as he could before all the Dias kids went back to their lives. He missed Keith, but it was only in the moment Lance caught a glimpse of his boyfriend that he really understood how much.

Keith was gorgeous. His hair was tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, half of his bangs slicked back and combed. He was in a classy black suit tailored to his body like a second skin. The buttons were red, the lapel was red, his tie was red, and the inside lining of his hood was red.

Wait.

“Your blazer has a fucking hood?” Lance laughed coming up to his boyfriend. He reached out and picked up the folded stretch of fabric that made up the top part of Keith’s lapel. It really was a hood!

Keith pulled away and glared. “That’s the first thing you say to me after not seeing me for a month?”

Lance raised a brow before grinning. He leaned in and kissed Keith’s cheek then leaned in again getting a whiff of some amazing cologne. It was kind of sweet.

“Hi, Keith, you look hot. Also, it wasn't even a week.”

Keith’s eyes were still narrowed in a glare, but they moved up and down Lance’s body and a smirk pulled at his own lips. “You’re looking pretty sharp there yourself, loverboy.”

“You betcha,” Lance said and winked. He took a step back and did a twirl showcasing his favorite navy blue suit. It had black detailing and he added a red pocket square and red bowtie for color. He ran a hand through his pushed back hair. and adjusted a pair of glasses he'd taken from Marco's bag of hand me downs he'd brought along.

Keith leaned in and pulled Lance’s glasses down his nose. “I thought you only wore these for reading.”

Lance pushed the glasses back up his nose. “These don’t have any prescription. They’re just for flare. Stole them off my brother. I think I look good.”

“The doctors just told Shiro he needed glasses, but he refuses to wear them. You should show him how good they look,” Keith said.

Lance slid an arm around Keith’s waist and turned to where the coach was talking with Allura who had changed into a soft pink fifties style cocktail dress and dainty pink pumps. There was an arm wrapped around her waist that led to the looming figure of Lotor, long silver hair done up in braids and wearing a white suit with a black shirt. Lance frowned seeing him, but Allura looked happy standing there with him and it seemed their relationship was developing well. Lance wasn’t the only one frowning at them, it seemed. He caught sight of Romelle in a light blue evening gown talking with Pidge glancing their way now and then. Lance had to take a second glance at his younger friend. Pidge usually dressed for the age she looked which was nowhere close to the age of a graduate student. Tonight, however, she wore a pinstripe jumpsuit in a green so dark it was almost black. Her brother was there sipping on water from a fancy glass and in a vest and pants situation with embroidery that had Lance thinking bohemian chic.

Just as Lance caught sight of Hunk and Shay cuddling outside by the pool, he felt Keith tense up beside him. He looked down at his boyfriend. Keith was staring off in a far corner of the main party room everyone was gathered next to the inside half of the pool. It took a moment for Lance to notice the four women standing off to the side glancing their way. He leaned down to Keith. Two of them look similar to the police women that had knocked on Lance's door at the beginning of the month.

“Hey, you never told me what Shiro said about them,” Lance whispered.

Keith jumped and turned away. He grabbed Lance’s arm and pulled him off to a sitting room with only a few other occupants. “They apparently just wanted to know what I was doing with that guy I got into an argument with. Some guy they were tailing or something. I just...I’ve been seeing them around a lot lately.”

“Why are they at Allura’s party?”

“I believe they are friends of Lotor. Maybe part of the Daibazaal group."

"Policemen can be part of that kind of group?" Lance asked

Keith shrugged. "It’s high society, Lance, we’re just lucky enough to have befriended Allura and the Holts.”

Lance nodded, but there was an edge to Keith’s voice. The McClains had always been somewhere in middle class and Lance kept humble about that remembering those first few years when his parents lived with him and how they basically lived in the spare bedroom of the McClain’s Florida home trying not to be seen. Keith, however, had lived in that shack with his father most of his life. And after Shiro’s grandmother died, he’d been in foster homes. Lance had learned how bad those could be if a child was willing to run away.

“Hey, I think there’s a dance hall Allura should be leading people to soon. Want to get a head start?” Lance offered.

Keith turned and smiled. “Yeah, let’s go.”

On the opposite side of the indoor pool was a hall that led to the ballroom where Allura had a bar set up with a bartender and everything. Colorful lights were slowly strobing around the room as a quiet beat pumped from the speakers. The older children of the parents invited to the party hung out here and Lance was relieved that he didn’t recognize any of them from Arus. They took up a stool at the bar and got a drink, Lance opting for juice since he would have to drive himself home. They chatted idly for a while, Keith leaning in close until they were holding hands and Lance felt comfortable. He was used to flirting at parties, never a party this nice, but he never let himself be alone on New Year's Eve.

Their idle chat was cut off when Shiro came to steal Keith away for something. It wasn’t long before the room filled and the music started pumping. At the bar, Lance found himself no longer alone. On his right, Lance had a girl not even old enough to drink that had pulled him into a long conversation about astronomy. Lance was a people pleaser by nature. And he liked making other people feel good about themselves. So, maybe he was flirting with her. There was nothing he wanted out of it. He just enjoyed parties, people, and talking. Of course, he pulled back every time the girl leaned in closer to him and kept his posture open for other conversationalists. Keith probably didn’t realize that though. Keith didn’t seem very good at talking to people. Keith came right up to Lance and slid between his legs glaring at the girl.

“Um, excuse me, we were talking,” the girl said, nose wrinkled with disgust.

“You can keep talking, I’m not interrupting,” Keith replied.

Lance grinned and wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, pulling him even closer before turning to the girl. “He’s fine. You actually took his seat, but I like him better right here.”

Keith raised a brow at Lance and he winked at him before turning back to the girl. “No, but if you’re serious about the Garrison, just taking astronomy classes won’t cut it. You need to get into math at the community college. Physics is a good starting point.”

The girl looked bored and slid off the stool. “Ugh, my parents are friends with weird people.”

“Huh, I guess she really was just flirting,” Lance mused as he watched the girl leave.

“And what were you doing?” Keith asked.

Lance shrugged. “Giving life advice. Apparently, she didn’t actually want it.”

“You weren’t flirting?”

“Hmm, you jealous?” Lance asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh, honest, I like that,” Lance said and moved his hands to Keith’s hips. “Are you mad?”

“A little. You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

“I like talking. I flirt with your brother all the time in front of you. Do you get jealous then?”

Keith frowned. “Yes, but that’s funny. And with Hunk and Pidge, it’s...cute.”

“Aww, you think me flirting is cute?”

Keith shook his head. “Not with her.”

Lance leaned away for a minute considering. “Okay, I’ll be more careful with the flirting, but I never hit on people when I’m in a relationship, I promise. Still mad?”

“Not at you,” Keith answered and glanced over to the empty seat.

Lance stood up still holding Keith’s hips. “Nope, don’t even think about it, we’re dancing now.”

Keith went with Lance willingly to the dancefloor. There was softer music playing out by the pool, but Lance was in love with the way Keith moved against him. They needed to go dancing more. Keith’s pants were tailored so perfectly, but they still had some stretch so they wrapped nicely around his bottom as he bent forward just a bit to roll back against Lance. At some point, their friends came to steal them away and Lance watched as Keith swung Shay around getting joyous laughter out of Hunk’s girlfriend while Lance let his true fool out with Hunk and Pidge. He even got up close with Romelle who he found out was crazy once you got a few drinks in her and he thought they could be good friends. Eventually, it was Lance and Keith again melting into a sweaty roll facing each other with grins spread wide on their faces.

Lance had initially made his way to his boyfriend to ask Keith to play games in the other room so they could cool off and didn’t sweat through their nice clothes, but there was another magnetism that had Lance’s hands on Keith’s ass, pulling the other close, their smiles morphing into something else as they leaned in close. It was an explosion as their lips met. Keith tasted sweet, smelled sweet. It wasn’t an overpowering smell, kind of organic, but not floral. When they pulled away, Keith was sniffing at Lance’s collar and that shouldn’t have been as hot as it was. Lance grabbed Keith by his red tie and pulled him in for a deeper kiss, tongues sliding together and a moan escaped Keith.

“Get a room!” someone yelled.

Lance pulled away, but it was another group talking to each other. The idea was good though and he tugged Keith out of the room into the hall and into the first opened door he could find.

It was a closet.

Lance felt ridiculous. Even more so when he realized he was slightly choking Keith by his grip on his tie. He let it go and held his hands up.

“Oh my god, sorry manhmph!”

Keith shook himself then pulled his tie loose before stalking towards Lance. He pushed him up against the closet wall. His lips smashed against Lance’s and Lance was so okay with letting Keith take over this kiss. Keith nipped at his lips, teased his teeth along Lance’s jaw. He placed his hands in Lance’s and pressed them to the wall and leaned in sucking on Lance’s earlobe before whispering out words Lance’s saved into his memory for another time.

“I liked it,” Keith whispered.

Lance took in a stuttered breath and spread his legs letting Keith slip between them. Keith let go of Lance’s hands and moved his into Lance’s hair musing up his slick-backed locks. Lance was frozen for a moment before he found purchase on Keith’s ass again. Keith chuckled in their kiss and the sound went straight to Lance’s groin. His boyfriend definitely felt that.

“What is with you touching my ass so much?”

Lance groaned. “You don’t understand how much I want to be buried in it.”

And that was not at all how Lance meant to phrase that. It was a little early in their relationship for sex. Well, Lance had sex after about the first month in his other serious relationships, but he’d only had one proper date with Keith, the rest had been hanging out and that was nice and all. He didn’t even really know Keith fully yet, but he wanted to know Keith and he was comfortable with the other man and would have spread his own legs if that’s what Keith wanted by now.

Keith was a virgin, though.

Keith blinked at Lance and Lance thought he was blushing, but it was hard to tell since they were both already flushed and it was dark in the closet. He could hear Keith though.

“Alright.”

“Wait, what? Aren’t you…?” Lance trailed off and made a gesture with his hand behind Keith.

He guessed Keith got the gist because he glared. “Yeah, so? I’m an adult who can make my own decisions and if I want to be fucked by my boyfriend on New Year's Eve then I will.”

“True, but are you sure?” Lance asked.

Keith pulled away and crossed his arms then made a gesture towards the door. “I’m sure I can find someone else out there that will let me suck their dick.”

Lance’s eyes widened and he moved to block the door. “Nope, no nononono no you don’t. I’m sucking _your_ dick.”

Keith smirked and sauntered up to Lance again, pushing him against the door and leaned in. His breath smelled slightly of alcohol, but mostly he just smelled sweet. It was almost stronger now. Lance felt himself heat up and there was definitely a straining starting in his lower regions. Fuck, he’d be so lucky to fuck Keith first time or not.

“I can smell you, Lance,” Keith purred. “I’m pretty sure I could have my mouth on your dick faster.”

“Oh, you probably could,” said a voice behind Lance, “but I wouldn’t advise you do that in there.”

Lance reached out and held his arms around Keith protectively. Keith held him as well but used one hand to open the door. Matt stood in the hall grinning at them. He waved a hand.

“Pidge said you were having sex so I figured you must be in a closet. Shiro was looking for both of you, but I can make him take me home if you’ve got somewhere else you want to go.”

Keith stared at Matt for a moment before nodding. He grabbed Lance’s hand and began dragging him down the hall. “Suck Shiro’s dick if you have to, just keep him from bothering me tonight.”

“I don’t need your permission for that, Keith!” Matt yelled after them.

“Wait, are those two dating?” Lance asked.

Keith scoffed. “They wish.”

Outside, there was a cold breeze. Lance took the lead walking to his Jeep parked in Allura’s garage. He was glad he'd gotten here easy and had a clear passage to get out. It wasn’t cold enough for ice to form, but there was fog and Lance sat at the steering staring blankly at the growing visibility on his windshield. Keith had pulled out the blanket Lance kept in the back seat and wrapped it around him.

“You would think Allura could afford a heated garage,” Lance said as he pulled out and started the drive back to Arus.

Keith hummed in agreement.

Once out of the city, Lance relaxed. The immediate need from the party was gone, but he still felt antsy. He had never once expected anything out of his time with Keith. It wasn’t even that he knew his boyfriend had little experience, it was just nice going slow for a change. There was so much different in Lance’s life, but he was getting used to it because it was supposed to be permanent.

“We’ve only been dating for a month and a half,” Lance said.

“Yeah? Feels like longer,” Keith said.

“We see each other a lot. I mean, I saw you naked within the first couple of weeks.”

“You bring that up a lot,” Keith pointed out.

“Well, yeah, that was the biggest clue you could have given me that you were interested without coming right out and saying it.”

“Still took you two months to ask me out. We could have been dating for three months.”

Lance grimaced. That was true. “I was focusing on other stuff.”

“Like Shiro?”

Lance turned to Keith horrified. Keith was just grinning to himself looking out the window. “That’s so weird to think about now!”

Keith sighed and turned to look at Lance. “Lance, this isn’t a sudden interest of mine. Having sex with you is a new thought compared to how long I've actually had a crush on you."

"How long have you had a crush on me?" Lance asked.

Keith hummed softly. "Since before we officially met. I had a crush on a man my best friends gushed about all the time. Hunk showed me so many videos. I get the feeling you don’t really understand that.”

“It’s just hard to believe. You were a complete mystery to me. I bet if we’d known each other in school or something, I’d be the one pinning after you.”

"Don't be so sure about that," Keith said. "The sex though, well, was the skinny dipping not a sign? I think it was somewhere around then."

"Oh," was all Lance could reply.

“Do you not want to have sex with me?" Keith asked. "At this point, it kind of feels like you’re the one who’s hesitating. If I had stripped down into nothing and climbed through your window at night back in the summer, would you have questioned it this much?”

Lance squinted at the road. “No, I would have fucked you and hoped this wasn't going to be just a casual thing while telling myself casual was all I wanted."

"But you don't want casual," Keith guessed.

"No, I want to settle down," Lance admitted. "Listen, sexually, I’m easy. I also fall fast and hard when it’s more than just a good time in bed. Still, I'm always serious in a relationship. I’m guessing it’s the same with you.”

Keith shifted in his seat and pulled the blanket down. “Lance, I’m a virgin because I know if something is going to work out with someone pretty quickly. I don’t want them to touch me if it’s not serious. I can’t let them touch me if it’s not serious. I usually know after the first date, occasionally I’ll go on a second, but it always ends badly.”

“We’ve only been on one real date,” Lance pointed out.

“Yes, but I only needed that one date to know this could work, if not for the long run, at least for a pretty long run. We share a friend group and we haven’t gotten tired of each other yet. And you’re not going to hurt me. Meeting you in real life, you're far more than I could have asked for.”

“Okay,” Lance said. “We’ll try, but just don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to. Ah...I mean, if you want to top or something, that’s fine, too.”

“Lance, look at me,” Keith said.

Lance turned his eyes away from the road just for a second. Keith was leaning closer to him. He reached out a hand and put it on Lance’s knee.

“Lance, I am very gay, I know this very well. I’ve seen your cock. I can take it,” Keith promised.

“R-right,” Lance squeaked looking away as he started to swerve into the next lane. Yep, there was his boner back again. “Okay, just setting boundaries. I’m totally in this for the long run, too. Good, glad we talked.”

Keith chuckled and settled back beneath the blanket.

The rest of the drive was silent, but thick with a restless need even as Lance calmed down. Glancing at the clock, there was still more than an hour until midnight. They had left Allura’s party pretty early, but Lance had also gotten there early.

“The moon’s pretty tonight,” Lance said as he parked the jeep in his driveway.

“Yeah, it is,” Keith agreed and got out of the jeep.

Keith leaned against the doorframe as he waited on the porch for Lance. Lance fumbled with his keys getting the door unlocked. His boyfriend had a free hand dragging along Lance’s shoulder and arm while smirking at him.

“You’re a tease,” Lance said when he finally got the door unlocked.

Keith brought his hands back to himself and crossed his arms leaning off the doorframe. “Didn’t you realize that before we started dating?”

Lance glared at Keith for a moment before reaching out and yanking his boyfriend inside the house by his tie. He pushed Keith up against the wall by the door and kissed him hard, taking in the small gasps that Keith let out. As he pulled away, Lance tugged Keith’s tie completely loose and pulled it along with him. Keith leaned against the wall panting, the moonlight giving Lance just enough light to tell his boyfriend was flushed.

“You like it a little rough, huh, Kitten?” Lance asked.

“Yes,” Keith said swallowing, chest heaving. “I...I’m not fragile.”

Lance wrapped the tie around his hand and brought it up to his nose. It held Keith’s sweet scent. “You smell like candy. I want to taste you.”

Keith chuckled and lifted both his hands up above his head. “What are you waiting for then?”

Lance nodded his head towards the hall. “Bedroom.”

Keith huffed but sauntered past Lance. Lance lifted a hand and smacked it against Keith’s butt as he passed. He was rewarded with a squeal and sexy flushed Keith tripping over his own feet.

“Hurry it up there, cowboy. I’ll be right behind you,” Lance called.

When Keith had disappeared down the hall, Lance turned to the door. He walked out on the porch and took in a deep breath of the cool winter air and glanced up at the moon. It was full and big. There were so many stars twinkling up there.

Statistically speaking, there should be aliens. For how big the universe was, more life must exist and Lance wondered if any of them felt as lucky as he did in that moment. Or as nervous.

Lance let out his breath, walked back inside, and locked the door before heading to his bedroom.

Keith laid out on Lance’s bed. His blazer was tossed over a chair where Lance had his not dirty, but not clean clothes piled on. His shirt was unbuttoned about halfway and Keith was idly playing with one of his nipples. His indigo eyes met Lance’s as he entered. Only Lance’s bedside table’s lamp was on casting the room in a dim orange glow, but it was enough to see.

“Fuck, Keith, you’re going to have me undone before I’ve even got my pants off,” Lance groaned.

“We can’t have that. Come here, I want to undress you, Lance.” Keith sat up and moved to the edge of Lance’s bed. He reached out for Lance and Lance moved closer.

Lance stood in front of Keith and watched as his boyfriend pushed away his blazer with quick hands, but slowed as he began to undo Lance’s bowtie and then the buttons of his shirt. With every second that passed, Lance watched as the teasing bravado Keith had morphed into an uncertain determination. His tongue was sticking out slightly between kiss red lips, brows furrowed. When Lance’s shirt was fully opened, Keith looked up at Lance with big questioning eyes and Lance felt...he felt soft. Adoring? Happy? Affectionate? Just, soft. He felt like his heart had been replaced by a teddy bear. Lance reached down and combed his hand through the slicked back side of Keith’s hair then pulled out the band and ribbon holding the longer strands back.

There was his Keith.

Lance stroked his hand through Keith’s hair a few more times then along his cheek. Keith leaned into the touched, lashes fluttering, but he still looked up at Lance, waiting.

“Continue,” Lance commanded softly.

Keith climbed up Lance’s body. He pushed away his shirt and placed kisses along Lance’s shoulders and licked along his collarbone, small little sniffs telling Lance he was doing that smelling thing. Lance didn’t blame him. He could smell Keith and he would probably do the same thing in a different scenario, but Lance wanted to go at Keith’s pace. They were in Lance’s house, Lance hadn’t drank, and Lance was going to pay attention to each step of this relationship as it shifted to something more.

The kisses moved down Lance’s chest then his stomach where Keith licked and hummed along his abs before finally moving his hands to Lance’s slacks. Still wearing his fingerless gloves, Keith popped the button and pulled Lance’s zipper down. He started to push Lance’s underwear down, but Lance grabbed his hands and lifted them up to his face. He kissed each of Keith’s wrists then winked at him.

“Don’t worry, Kitten, but you’ve got to take these off,” Lance said.

Lance reached for one of the velcro straps on the glove with his teeth pulling it loose. He let go of Keith’s other hand to slip the glove off then brought Keith’s palm to his mouth. He kissed the middle then sucked lightly on the heel. He placed that hand on his abs before picking the other one back up. Lance undid the velcro then nosed off the glove as he kissed up Keith’s pulse point. The glove got stuck, but Lance just pulled it the rest of the way off with his teeth earning a sharp gasp from Keith. His eyes were glazed and chest rising and falling quickly. Lance smirked and licked up Keith’s middle finger before bringing it into his mouth. He sucked it, licked it, made sure it was completely covered then moved to Keith’s pointer.

“Lance,” Keith whined.

Lance pulled off with a pop. “What is it, Keith?”

“I’m so hard, please,” Keith begged.

Lance let go of Keith’s hand and took a step back. “Go on then, undress for me. I’m hard, too.”

Keith’s hands were shaking as he pulled his shirt the rest of the way off then leaned back to clumsily pull off his tight fitting slacks and briefs. They were red, Lance mused. Keith threw his clothes across the room, glaring at them like a frenzied animal. Lance couldn’t help but chuckle. He removed his glasses and placed them on the bedside table. Then, he moved back to the edge of his bed and reached out for Keith’s face.

“You’re cute,” he said.

Keith’s glare stayed, but it was accompanied by a pout. “Why do you think I’m cute when I’m angry?”

“I don’t, it’s probably because I adore you,” Lance said and leaned down kissing Keith’s pout.

“Your skin is unfairly pretty,” Lance said pulling away from the kiss. He moved his hands to Keith’s shoulders and down his back then back to his arms.

“Your eyes are pretty,” Keith said.

“You’ve said that before, but I won’t get tired of hearing it. Anything else you think is pretty on me, Kitten?”

Keith tilted his head and grinned. “Don’t know, it’s kind of covered up still.”

Lance moaned as Keith reached out and rubbed the bulge at the front of his boxers. Keith then slipped his hand inside, rubbing it, brows furrowing. With his other hand, Keith pushed down Lance’s boxers and his eyes grew.

“I thought you’d be big when I saw you at the lake,” Keith said hand rubbing up and down Lance’s length. Man, those gloves Keith wore to work must really work because his hands were incredibly smooth on his dick. “You’re so big, Lance. You could breed with this thing.”

Lance chuckled between moans. “Calling me a stallion? You’re going to give me a big head there, Cowboy.”

“I’m going to _give_ you head,” Keith said and then his mouth was on Lance’s dick.

Lance had had his fair share of blowjobs. He’d given a few, but he preferred going down on his partner male or female as far as oral sex went. Still, he hadn’t lied about wanting to give that experience to Keith, but this was good. This was so good. Keith only took the tip in at first, sucking it, tongue playing with Lance’s slit. Then, he removed his mouth and kissed his way down Lance’s length. He ran his tongue around the base then pushed Lance’s cock back just enough to get a better angle at the thick vein on the underside.

“You taste so good,” Keith panted and played with Lance’s slit with his thumb.

“You’re literally giving me a bigger head by giving me head. Fuck, Keith, stop being so perfect,” Lance groaned.

Keith then leaned in, burying his face into the curled hairs of Lance’s crotch and taking in a deep breath. “You smell so good.”

Lance sighed. “You’re gross.”

Then, Keith’s lips were on his balls.

“Keep being gross, though. I’m into this. Why are you good at this?”

Keith moved his head from Lance’s crotch and leaned back going back to stroking his length. His own wasn’t anything to feel bad about and it was flushed such an enticing color of fuchsia at the tip pointing up full mass between his thick thighs.

“I watch porn, Lance,” Keith said and leaned in to suck on his tip again. “I’ll show you my toy collection if you ever come to my room.”

Fuck, toys, yes Lance wanted to see that.

Keith started lowering farther and farther down Lance’s length, whining every time he had to back off. Lance stayed as still as he could. He moved a hand to Keith’s hair to keep himself steady and tried to help guide his boyfriend. Honestly, it was less of the physical and more of the visual that had Lance biting his lip to try and hold back. Keith had his hand wrapped around Lance’s base and his eyes tried their best to keep contact with Lance’s. Such cautious, but determined eyes beneath thick lashes and with those lips on his shaft, Lance really only needed that picture to cum. He probably could and be up again once Keith was prepared. He could even return the favor while preparing his boyfriend. It would take a while. When Lance looked past Keith’s face, he instinctively tugged Keith’s hair pulling him off and stared down at his boyfriend.

“What are you doing with your other hand?” Lance asked.

Keith actually looked a bit self-conscious. “I’m...preparing.”

“Damn, Keith, you’ve got almost your whole fist in your ass already. Get some lube!”

Keith furrowed his brows then looked towards Lance’s drawer. “That one?”

“Yeah, and a condom.”

Keith grinned and purred, “Yes, sirrrr.”

Lance tried not to react. His dick though, the traitor, did. He watched as Keith removed his hand from where he had reached behind himself to prepare his hole with the hand Lance had licked. He then arched his body on the bed as he reached over for the drawer and removed one of the condoms from Lance’s recently opened boxes, laughing at something inside, then pulled out a tube of lube as well.

Keith turned back to Lance and held the items out. “Your toy is small.”

Lance frowned, but stepped out of his boxers and joined Keith on the bed. He pushed his boyfriend down and pushed between his legs, fingers going to his hole. His eyes widened feeling how easily he could push three in.

“AH-ah!” Keith cried in surprise.

“I’ve got to see your toys, Keith. You’re like at the perfect tightness for me right now.”

Keith hummed happily. “Really? I think you’re bigger than that, Lance.”

Lance turned to lay beside Keith and took the condom slipping it on himself. Then, he poured a generous amount on the condom. Keith laid beside him, a hand idly tracing patterns on his chest. Every few seconds, he scooted closer until his face was against Lance’s neck.

Lance wiped his hand on his stomach then reached over to Keith and lifted his face up. “Keith, you sure you want to do this? I’m happy with eating you out or fingering you or watching you do it if you don’t want to go further.”

Keith sat up and shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I want you in me more than I’ve wanted a lot of things in life, it’s just.” Keith turned away for a moment then shrugged. “It’s my first time with a person and not a toy. I kind of gave up on the idea that I’d ever find a lover.”

Lance frowned and sat up. He reached out and turned Keith’s face to him. Keith’s eyes were unguarded for once and Lance could see all the insecurities he hid within them. “Why would you not find one? You’re beautiful.”

Keith grinned. “I’m...I guess I’m more than average, but I don’t...I have toys. I don’t need this experience if it’s not with someone I’m not fully invested in. I really like you, Lance McClain, and I want to experience this with you.”

Lance smiled. He felt like he was even softer now. There were butterfly wings kissing at his heart, not just in his stomach. He leaned in and kissed Keith softly then a bit harder wanting the feeling to linger as he pulled away.

“I really like you, Keith Kogane,” Lance said and stroked Keith’s cheek where he still had a faint outline of a scar. “I would be honored to experience this with you. And we’re going to go at your pace.”

Lance leaned back and patted his lap.

Keith stared at him for a moment before laughing and pushed back his bangs.

“What?” Lance asked.

Keith threw one leg over Lance’s hips and straddled his stomach. He looked down, his indigo irises glittering with happiness. “If this was how we were going to do it, I should have worn a cowboy hat.”

“A cowboy...hat…” Then Lance was imagining it. “Fuck, you should have worn a cowboy hat.”

Keith reached back and grabbed Lance’s dick, stroking it over the condom. “Hmm, maybe not. It’d fly right off riding such a fine, full, thoroughbred like yourself.”

“Ughhhh,” Lance groaned. He threw his arms to the side and closed his eyes. “You’ve done it. I now have a cowboy kink. Just fuck me up, huh? Ride my brains out, Cowboy.”

“You always had a cowboy kink, Lance,” Keith giggled. Outright giggled. Then there was something warm and tight sliding down Lance’s length.

Lance opened his eyes and watched as Keith lowered himself. When he bottomed out, Keith’s eyes were closed and head tilted back chest heaving. Lance lifted his hands to Keith’s hips and rubbed his thumbs there.

“Hey, Kitten, you good?” Lance asked softly.

Keith nodded and a shiver wracked his body followed by a small spurt of precum.

“Did you just…” Lance trailed off. He didn’t have as much success on the receiving end. He came fast if his prostate was hit too much and that was pretty much it for the night. It wasn’t bad, just quick. Lance did enjoy partners that he could make feel good over and over until they were just a mess.

Keith flushed and opened his eyes looking down at Lance. He licked his lips and nodded. “I’m...sensitive. It feels really good. I can almost feel your flesh against mine.”

“Can you keep going?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, just have to adjust. You fit perfectly in me, Lance.”

Lance melted for a moment. All this praise was going to have him flaunting like a peacock tomorrow.

Keith pressed his hands against Lance’s stomach and leaned forward then slowly lifted back up and then down. Lance kept his breaths as even as he could and moved his hands to Keith’s ass, spreading his cheeks a bit more, but also just so he could focus on the fullness instead of pounding into his boyfriend like his body was begging him to do. Keith quickened, but little whines escaped him and he would stop to swirl his hips on Lance’s dick, breath hitching when he got it to grind against that spot inside of him how he wanted.

People weren’t exactly beautiful when they were having sex. Lance knew this from experience, but he also knew there was something that made the person you had sex with more beautiful than any other time. Keith was sweaty and his pale skin was splotched with pink. His tongue had moved to hang out of his mouth just a tad. He was even having a hard time keeping his eyes open and focused as he gained an uneven sort of pace riding Lance. Still, he was beautiful. Lance wondered if maybe he was in love or if that was just the endorphins running through his system. Something deeper grew in his chest with each desperate sound Keith made bouncing harder and faster on Lance’s dick. Something that yelled Mine, Mine, Mine. And then, all at once, it took over.

Lance grabbed Keith’s hips and suddenly flipped them. Lance grabbed Keith’s hands and held them above his head with a firm grip. His chest was heaving with rough breaths. Keith stared up at him with large surprised eyes. Then, his face softened and he wrapped his legs around Lance’s waist bringing him in deeper. Lance moaned and hid his face in Keith’s neck as he started to rock into his boyfriend. He went hard and fast. He could taste Keith’s smell buried against his neck. He sucked the pale skin there, bit at it leaving marks. Finally, he felt himself calm down and pulled away to stare down at his boyfriend. Keith’s lips were parted, eyes half-lidded looking up at him. His hair was fanned out like a halo of inky blackness against Lance’s white pillowcase. So pretty, just so pretty.

“You’re beautiful,” Lance whispered.

A smile quirked Keith’s lips. “Want me to be more beautiful, make me cum. Please. I need you buried deep inside me.”

Lance let go of Keith’s wrists and grabbed onto one of his hips while he kept the other next to Keith’s head for balance. He watched Keith’s expression as he moved his thrusts around until Keith was a whining mess. His voice got higher, small cut off screams followed by lower voiced pleads each time Lance thrust against his spot. When Keith orgasmed, he grabbed tightly to Lance’s shoulders, nails digging in, and arched against him. Lance let go of Keith’s hips and milked his cock through it, stilling until Keith was pliant in his hold. It only took a few more thrusts into a boneless Keith to cum himself.

“Lance,” Keith groaned when he pulled out.

“It’s okay Keith,” Lance assured kissing Keith’s cheek before he rolled off and threw away the condom in the wastebasket a couple feet away from his bed. He pulled out a few tissues from his drawer and wiped himself clean then handed a few to Keith.

When they were both cleanish, Lance pulled Keith to him. Keith didn’t immediately settle into cuddling, but he was pliant from his release and Lance moved him where he wanted him as the little spoon.

“How you feeling, Kitten?” Lance asked and kissed the back of Keith’s neck.

“Hmm, good, but tired. And it’s starting to get cold,” Keith said.

Lance wiggled the comforter out from under them and pulled Keith back in as the little spoon. “Better?”

Keith backed up further against him. “Yeah. Am I staying over?”

“If you leave, you have to drag me with you. I want to wake up to you in my bed in the morning. It’s more romantic that way.”

“I like romantic,” Keith said then yawned.

Lance grinned seeing a sleepy Keith. He sat up a bit and reached for the drawer on the other side of his bed to shut the lamp off and saw his clock.

11:59.

One minute until midnight.

Lance switched the lamp off and sat up in bed. He lightly tugged on Keith’s chin to get his boyfriend, his lover, to turn and look at him.

“I like you so much, Keith. I’m glad you’re my boyfriend.”

“I like you a lot, too, Lance.”

“Happy New Years,” Lance said and leaned in.

“Happy new Ye-mph.”

Lance received his response as Keith kissed him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. ^.^


	11. "January is Here, With Eyes That Keenly Glow” - Edgar Fawcett

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, we back.  
> Next chapter, Valentine's day.  
> Have fun reading~

**11\. “January is Here, With Eyes That Keenly Glow” - Edgar Fawcett**

Lance couldn’t remember an afterglow that lasted until the morning, but as the light through his opened curtain woke him, Lance couldn’t find a nerve in his body to be angry with. He wasn’t melty, but he felt good, refreshed, ready to start his day, to start his year. He assumed it was that feeling that kept him warm throughout the night. When he sat up, the chill of winter finally hit him, naked body removed of any blanket. Lance hid his laugh as he looked down at the bundle next to him. Keith was cocooned in his comforter, only the movement of his breathing and the longer strands of his black hair sticking out ensured Lance he was even still in his bed. Lance stroked the locks before nudging the bundle.

“Ke~~~ith,” he sung softly.

Keith only groaned and snuggled further into the comforter, hair disappearing into the mass. Lance didn’t want to wake his boyfriend if he was still tired. He patted the blanket.

“Alright, buddy, you stay there and be warm and comfortable.”

Lance got up and quietly picked up some old sweats and a hoodie fallen from his laundry chair. He closed the curtain where the sun was coming through and headed out of the room. He eyed his living room then stared at his kitchen. He hadn’t bought a kitchen table, hadn’t seen the use for one when he lived alone, but he did invest in matching stools so he could sit at his counter and look out the window in front of his sink in the mornings. He also hadn’t gone grocery shopping since getting back from Michigan. Lance opened the fridge. He still had a few eggs and baking basics in a cupboard.

Lance pulled out the eggs. “Morning after pancakes it is then.”

Pancakes were a Sunday favorite growing up. He thought all family’s ate pancakes on Sunday, even his real mother and siblings got excited when they were all together on a Sunday morning. When Lance had learned to make pancakes, they had lost their importance, but not their magic. Lance almost hesitated pouring the batter onto his hot skillet thinking the last time he’d made pancakes for someone else. He hadn’t woken up to someone in a while, but Lance did always make pancakes for them even when they kicked him out for using their kitchen.

Well, no point in breaking tradition now.

Lance had half a stack made when he heard footsteps padding down the hall. He hummed softly as he poured another perfect heart shape onto the skillet.

“Morning, Keith~”

“Morning,” Keith grumbled.

The sound of a stool being pulled out told Lance his boyfriend had taken a seat and the following groans told him Keith had removed himself from the comforter reluctantly.

“You feeling alright?” Lance asked. His heartbeat quickened as he added the pancake to the stack and he moved slower. He...suddenly felt afraid to turn around. What if Keith hated him. He had drunk a bit last night, but the ride to Lance’s house should have been enough to sober him up. He wasn’t regretting it, was he?

“Sore,” Keith said. “Bed was cold without you.”

Lance missed flipping the next pancake and mashed it together is a messy circle. “Oh? I was considering bringing you breakfast in bed.”

“So, those are for me?”

“Ah, well that depends. Do you like pancakes?” Lance asked finishing up his last one.

“Yeah. Shiro sucks at them, though and I don’t usually have time to make them myself. You kind of have to make a lot at once or there’s no point.”

“I agree.” Lance turned the stove off and grabbed a second plate piling three pancakes onto it. “I’ve got syrup and jelly, which do you want?”

“Both? You got any chocolate syrup?”

Lance gasped. “You heathen!”

“What? Lactose-free milk is disgusting without something to put in it, so we usually have some. It's good on everything, but it’s fine if you don’t have any.”

Lance walked back to his fridge and opened it. In the door was a bottle of chocolate syrup he didn’t remember buying, but partially remembered Pidge pulling out of a bag with tequila a few months back. He closed the fridge and turned to look at Keith finally.

“I think this is Pidge’s, but she’s probably forgotten all about ittttttt---OhMyGod!” Lance jumped and dropped the syrup.

“What? Is my bed head that bad?” Keith asked.

Yeah, his bed head was pretty bad, but it was absolutely adorable particularly with his fuzzy pointed purple ears, purple skin splotches across his body, and fangs.

Lance took a step back. “Keith, you’re fucking purple!”

Keith’s eyes widened and they flashed yellow for a moment before he sat up. The stool stumbled back and fell to the side as Keith walked backwards from the counter and stared down at his hands, his arms, then up at Lance. He looked like he was going to cry.

“Lance...I…” Keith started.

Fuck, why was his boyfriend purple? Lance reached out towards Keith, but his hand was shaking and he brought it back taking a step over to the sink. Maybe it was a prank and they could wash it off? Or he could call poison control. Did poison turn you purple?

Keith watched Lance’s hand. When Lance pulled it back, tears really did fall. A low rumble escaped Keith, like a growl, and then he was running for the back door.

“Keith!” Lance yelled. He chased after Keith, but by the time he had gotten to the door, there was no sign of his boyfriend at all.

“Fuck, what do I do?” Lance leaned against the door frame and ran a hand through his hair. Keith was probably sick. Lance wasn’t carrying any diseases and they’d used a condom and he didn’t know of any sexual diseases that would turn you purple and fluffy particularly that quickly. He didn’t know of any diseases at all that did that. He needed to get Keith to a hospital.

Lance ran back inside and grabbed the throw off his couch then his phone and keys ready to run around the wooded acres of Shiro’s farm trying to find his boyfriend. Before he could walk outside, his phone rang, Shiro’s name on the screen.

“Fuck, Shiro,” Lance yelled.

“I...well, a good morning to you, too, Lance. Is Keith there? He left his phone in my car last night. I just wanted to make sure he was headed home soon.”

Lance was trying to balance the phone and lock his back door at the same time. “Shit! Fuck! Shiro, I have no idea if he’s headed home, but I sure hope so. Screw it!”

If someone stole something this far out in the countryside, they deserved it. Lance needed to find his boyfriend. He started into the woods.

“Lance? Are you alright? Did it not go well last night?” Shiro asked. There was the big brother clip to his voice Lance expected, but also something wavering.

“Oh, no, we fucked. It was awesome. Does lactose intolerance turn you purple?”

“Lactose intoler-oh...Is Keith purple right now?”

Lance paused. Shiro sounded rather calm for such a statement. “Yeah, purple and fuzzy and he ran off when I pointed it out.”

Shiro sighed. “I guess I’m too late then. I knew he should have taken his medicine last night.”

“Medicine? Keith’s supposed to take medicine? Fuck, why is my boyfriend so bad at taking care of himself?”

Shiro chuckled.

“What are you laughing about? Keith might be in the middle of the woods having an allergic reaction to my jizz or something because he didn’t take meds and you’re laughing.”

“Sorry,” Shiro said and sighed. “I’m at Matt's right now, but I'll go ahead and head home.”

“Why do you sound so calm? I don’t know where Keith is,” Lance said. Now he wanted to cry. “He looked so scared, Shiro.”

“Yeah, probably, but you’re taking it pretty well so I think it’ll be fine.”

“I’m freaking out, Shiro! My boyfriend’s purple and I don’t know why. How is that taking it well?”

“Because you're worried. You should ask him why he's purple.”

Lance growled in frustration and glared up at the sun through the trees. He didn’t see any footprints around. Hunting down his boyfriend like some lost cat was a great way to start his new year. They were supposed to be eating heart-shaped pancakes on the couch and fooling around, maybe going for round two.

“I’d ask him if I knew where he was!”

“Ah, well, usually when he turns purple he stays in his bedroom, but since you moved in I’ve had to lock it.”

“What the fuck, Shiro!”

“Ah, but if not there,” Shiro continued, “I would guess he went to the shack.”

The shack? “Oh, yeah, I know where that is.”

“Then I suggest going to him, Lance. He can be fast when he’s like this, but he doesn’t get very far. He’s at his weakest right now.”

Right. “Thanks Shiro.”

Lance hung up and headed in the direction he remembered the shack being. It wasn’t long before he found it, still as uninhabitable as last time. With slow steps, he approached the front door then opened it and peeked inside. The sunlight filtered through the broken beams illuminating the dust floating in the air as if they were tiny specks of gold. Curled up on the only intact piece of furniture was Keith. If it wasn’t for the small sniffles he could hear, Lance wouldn’t guess the other man was crying. It broke his heart just hearing it.

“Keith,” he called softly.

The other man stiffened, but didn’t turn to look at Lance. “Go away. I just...don't look at me. Forget I exist. I have a weird disease.”

Lance sighed and ducked into the shack. “Keith, if you have a disease, I want to know about it. I want to know everything about you.”

Keith sat up and hissed at Lance. In one hand, he had his ornate dagger he said was a keepsake of his mother, but it was longer and pulsed with a purple light. Lance hesitated seeing it, but then he looked up at Keith’s face. The tear tracks were more obvious on the purple splotches. He took two steps closer.

“Don’t come closer!” Keith yelled. “You don’t want to know everything about me. You can’t. I’m not crazy and if you call the police, I’ll kill you.”

Lance raised a brow and held his hands out in front of him. “Not that I don’t believe you could kill me, you could suffocate me between your things and I’d thank you, but I’m not going to call the police on you.”

Keith made a stabbing motion with his dagger. “You didn’t say I wasn’t crazy.”

Lance grinned. “Well, you are threatening me with a knife right now, but I’d rather have my crazy boyfriend than not have you at all.”

Keith narrowed his eyes at Lance. His ears twitched and swiveled and reminded Lance of how a cat’s worked, though they weren’t quite like that. It was cute, though. “You’re acting rather calmly in this situation.”

“I don’t really know what situation this is,” Lance said and approached Keith. He took the throw he’d brought along and swung it around Keith’s shoulders before kneeling in front of his boyfriend and tied the front of the throw at his neck like a cape, fingers grazing one of the purple marks. It was a bit softer than his skin, like velvet. “I know you’re safe, now, and that’s the only thing I was freaking out about.”

“Are you safe?” Keith asked.

“No,” Lance said, “but that has nothing to do with you or your affinity for sharp objects.”

Keith pulled back, tucked his knife away (it grew smaller and Lance tried not to focus on that right then), then pulled the throw tighter around him. Lance hadn’t noticed before, but Keith had on a pair of his sweats and nothing else. He was glad he’d brought the blanket.

“What do you want, Lance?” Keith asked.

Lance twisted around and took a seat on the dusty floor then leaned back against the couch Keith was on. “Shiro called me when I came running after you. He told me this purple thing happens and you’re suppose to take medicine. I don’t get it, though.”

“Lance, I promise I really will kill you if you call the police on me after I tell you this,” Keith said.

“Even if it turns out you’re a cannibalistic murderer, I won’t call the police on you,” Lance said and made a cross-motion over his chest.

“Aliens are real.”

Lance scrunched up his nose, but stayed silent.

“They are real,” Keith emphasized. “Shiro and Matt and my father were abducted by aliens. Homicidal aliens maybe, but extraterrestrials all the same. I have proof. I am proof.”

Lance turned to look at Keith again. The purple splotches had grown on his body and he was almost convinced he saw something swishing beneath the blanket.

“Do you have a tail?” Lance asked.

Keith narrowed his eyes. “What? I...yeah.”

A long purple tail that same soft texture as the purple splotches with a black tuft of hair slipped out from beneath the blanket and swished in agitation.

“ _Dios mio!_ I’m a fucking furry...uh, xenophile,” Lance mumbled. “Yeah, xenophile.”

Keith had his head tilted and ears flattened again. Even one of the splotches had covered a whole eyes like a cat’s fur patch. Maybe furry still did apply.

“Uh ...just for the record, I still find you insanely attractive in this moment, but please continue your explanation.”

Keith reeled back, blinking, a blush painting across his face. The purple flushed such a pretty color, Lance thought.

“I...Well, okay. Fuck, is this what my dad looked like when he saw my mom?”

Lance frowned. Right, that’s what Keith was getting at. His dad fucked his mom. Who was probably purple. Probably an alien. “Your dad fucked an alien.”

“Yeah,” Keith deadpanned. “And then I was born.”

“Were you purple when you were born?” Lance asked.

“No, looked human then started gaining spots. I never get completely purple, but the splotches do shift a bit,” Keith said.

“So why do you take medicine?”

“It’s a disguise,” Keith answered. “My mother...I don’t remember much about her, but my dad told me when he use to give me my medicine that my mother also took it. I guess it’s so she looked human. It wore off on her faster. Usually, I take a dose every month, but I occasionally have to detox from it. I wanted to detox for the new year, but I was off by a couple days it seems.”

“Okay, so you’re half alien, legitimately from another planet. Do you know why your mom was here?” Lance asked. “Usually aliens want something, at least that’s what all the movies show.”

Keith shrugged. “I think she use to be a fighter or something since she left me the knife. I never got a clear answer to why she left from my dad. The less I knew the better I guess.”

Lance frowned. “That’s not fair. If you’re in galactic danger, shouldn’t you know?”

Beside him, Lance saw Keith clench up. “Shouldn’t everyone?”

“Yeah, they should,” Lance agreed.

“But they can’t,” Keith sighed. “Shiro and Matt and my father were taken because of some galactic mishap, but they thought we were crazy. I...this country doesn’t treat people who aren’t from here with respect, people who are different. Other countries are like that, too. What do you think they’d do, the world would do, if they found someone who wasn’t even from this planet?”

Lance looked at Keith, truly looked at him. He was beautiful. Rachel’s first American boyfriend had thought she was beautiful, too, only to break up with her when she thought she might be pregnant. Just because something was beautiful didn’t mean it would be treated with respect.

Keith was human, was born here in this land perhaps even in this very shack. But, he was also half alien, half something far more foreign than Lance. In any country, he wouldn’t be welcomed if they found out. If not death on site, there would be experiments. Lance’s only real fear was a fine he couldn’t pay and jail time for being part of a conspiracy to cover up his cousin’s death. Maybe deportation. Keith had it worse.

“They would treat them far worse than they would treat me,” Lance answered.

“Exactly...wait, what do you mean?”

Lance turned away. His stomach churned. Hunk had been Lance’s best friend for years. Lance hadn’t exactly told Pidge, she had made Hunk spill his real birthday on accident and figured it out from there, though she didn’t know about his cousin, but now Lance understood why she was willing to help a bit more if she had always known about Keith. And Keith...well, Lance had never thought to tell his lover the truth of it all, but here he was with an alien boyfriend. If Keith ran off and told his secret, they would believe him. Lance had a fifty percent chance on anyone believing Keith’s secret, but it was a secret.

“I’m an alien, too,” Lance said.

Keith’s tail whipped across the couch, his tone low and hissing. “What are you playing at Lance?”

Lance sighed and slumped a bit further onto the floor. “No one really uses that term anymore. I’m an illegal immigrant from Cuba.”

“Oh,” Keith said. He didn’t sound surprised and perhaps that had something to do with being so close to a bordering country. “Is your real name Lance?”

“Is your real name Keith?” Lance asked.

“Yes. I think my mom wanted to call me Yorak, though.”

Lance laughed. “I bet it means something cool in her language.”

“You didn’t answer me,” Keith pointed out.

Lance reached back. Hesitantly, he felt Keith put his hand in his. Lance squeezed it and let Keith steady him. He could feel himself shaking.

“Lance?”

“Lance McClain doesn’t exist,” Lance said finally. “Well, he did, for like an hour. I was supposed to be born in the United States as a key to get my family here. Things in Cuba were pretty bad for my family at the time. They got better so I never knew the specifics, but it was already too late to take me back. I came early. Still, my parents took me on a boat and snuck me with them to Florida. My mother’s sister, my aunt, my legal mother, is married to a man with a white grandfather hence the name McClain. She always had trouble having children, but she was pregnant at the time, due any day. My parents were going to help her with the baby. There was a hurricane. My parents still made it before it hit, but they had to delay the trip because I was born. They decided to stay and during that hurricane my cousin was born. No electricity, no running water, feet of rain outside, he was born in that. They kept him warm, they fed him, they did everything they were suppose to. My mother had had two of my siblings in her house before, had helped deliver neighboring babies, but she wasn't an expert. It was something the doctors hadn’t caught. It took them a day to get rid of him. I don’t know what they did exactly, but I know it was a bad hurricane and so the doctors overlooked a lot. I was related by blood, I could pass as their son. I had no papers in Cuba since I wasn't born in a hospital, either. Everything fell right into place for me to become my cousin, to become Lance McClain, but it’s not my name. I don’t have a name.”

Keith shifted on the couch to lay, head near Lance’s. He moved their connected hands so that Lance’s arm was in front and he had to turn the other way then brought that hand to his lips and kissed it. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Lance narrowed his eyes for a moment hearing Keith’s words then grinned. “Did you just quote Romeo and Juliet at me? That’s an awful play.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s not an awful play, people just focus on the wrong part of it. A tragedy befell two children because of the faults of their parents.”

“Yeah, it's an awful romance, not an awful play,” Lance agreed.

“Still,” Keith said and rubbed his thumb against Lance’s hand, eyes relaxed and beautiful and dark, Lance decided, the color of his boyfriend’s eyes were the night. “I think Juliet was right at least in that a name doesn’t make a person. I don’t care what your name is, Lance. You’re your own special flower.”

Lance laughed and leaned in. He pressed his nose against Keith’s. “You can be real romantic when you want to Kogane, but I was trying to cheer you up.”

“I don’t need cheering up, I need reassurance that you’re not going to leave me because I’m not exactly human. You should kiss me.”

“Gladly,” Lance said. He reached up with his free hand and stroked Keith’s face before leaning in and kissing him softly. When he pulled away, he nuzzled against Keith’s ear. “You know, you’re the one that smells like a rose.”

Keith shook his head and reached for Lance’s face to pull him in for another kiss. “Not like a rose, like sex. I’m in heat.”

Lance pulled back. “Wait, what?”

Keith waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t know, it’s a chemical thing for being human for so long. My mother didn’t have it because it didn’t work the same for her. I just get really horny when the medicine runs out. That's why I detox, to regulate 'heats'.”

“Oh, is that why Shiro said he’s been locking you in your room?”

Keith’s face flushed and he turned away a bit. He reached a hand up and scratched at the back of the couch. “I’m usually fine, but if I don’t take it in time then I’ve got to kinda detox and it’s easier if no one sees me and I take care of things, but then I could smell you from my house and...I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to have sex with you, Lance, but I really wanted to do it when I wasn’t chemically alien horny. Barely made it this time.”

“Ah...are you…” Lance looked up and down Keith which was mostly still covered in his throw.

Keith shook his head. “It usually takes like half a day so I can prepare. Right now I just want you to sit with me and maybe let me keep these sweats and this blanket.”

“Absolutely,” Lance agreed.

Keith reached up and started playing with Lance’s hair, eyes drooping. He seemed calmer, a soft rumbling coming from his chest and Lance found it more endearing than weird. He did like cats. He dreamed of adopting them when he settled down with someone. Lance turned a bit so Keith had better access. It felt nice.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance called softly. He was starting to doze off, too, but he caught a glimpse of the hidden door he’d found beneath the rubble.

“What?”

Lance pointed towards the floor. “That door, where does it lead?”

“Nowhere. It use to go somewhere. A cellar or something. My dad said it collapsed a long time ago. It’s just a funny part of the floor now.”

“Oh, okay,” Lance said and let his eyes close fully.

Morning after pancakes would have been nice, but sharing secrets in an abandoned shack while cuddling worked, too.

✫

The invention of touch screen gloves was a godsend, Lance decided as he sat curled up on the porch of the water tower waiting for the blood moon eclipse with his telescope in hand and a pile of papers he needed to grade. He was freezing and had long finished his Hunk’s Special coffee. There was only so much the dolphin patterned blanket Pidge had gotten him for Christmas from across the border could do. A creaking from the ladder caught Lance’s attention and he glanced over to it just in time to see Keith’s head pop up. He smiled the moment he saw Lance and that smile was like three cups of Hunk’s coffee warming Lance’s body.

“Did I make it?” Keith asked.

“It’s already starting,” Lance answered and held the blanket open for his boyfriend.

Keith scurried over to Lance and snuggled up beneath the king-sized blanket dressed in a coat and sweats, a beanie covering his ears. Lance held him close and took in his scent. It wasn’t as sweet as it had been on New Year’s. Lance had realized that the sweeter his scent got, the closer Keith was to needing his medicine. After leaving the shack that day, Lance didn’t see Keith for a few. Eventually, he invited himself over for breakfast and had to replace Shiro’s mess of crepes, that were just burned sheets of batter, with the fluffy pancakes he had intended to serve to his boyfriend in bed. Then he’d sat through a talk from Shiro about taking care of his little brother while Keith huffed and stood up dramatically from the table to slam his bedroom door shut like some teenager. He joined Lance later on the couch and they both snuggled beneath Kosmo watching children’s cartoons.

And then Lance invited Keith to join him whenever he went to the tower.

“It’s so red,” Keith said. “I use to keep track of these things better when I was younger.”

“Yeah, Shiro told me you use to want to be in the astronomy program at the Garrison.”

“With my juvie record, I was surprised the community college accepted me,” Keith said.

“You majored in English? Not science?”

Keith frowned. “I tried astronomy, but it felt like I knew everything they were teaching us already. It wasn’t useful when my only goal was to fight aliens. They wanted a peaceful interaction with alien life forms. They wanted to discover.”

“Discover, huh? And you were already right there in front of them,” Lance pointed out.

“Exactly! My life, my story, was science fiction. So, I wanted to research science fiction. But English doesn’t tell you how to write a genre specific book, they tell you how to decipher boring stuff. I learned the algorithm for what they wanted and got my bachelor’s in three years. I took most classes online. It was one of the only degrees you could get from the community college, but I didn’t get it to work. I just got it to say I had it, to not disappoint Shiro, I guess.”

Lance frowned. “I wanted to be an astronaut, too, but I always had a science teacher as a backup career. I enjoy it. Do you enjoy taking care of the farm?”

“It’s my home,” Keith said. “Shiro doesn’t really care for it, but it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s my safety. I know eventually it won’t be much of a farm, but I still want to keep a few horses and maybe just Kaltenecker on it. I don’t know. I like manual labor.”

Lance hummed then grinned to himself and moved his hand to Keith’s waist pushing it beneath his shirt and coat to feel along his stomach. He wished he wasn’t wearing his gloves. “I’d say manual labor looks good on you.”

Keith’s stomach flexed beneath Lance’s touch and Keith looked away. “Don’t mess around, Lance. Not unless you’re going to go through with it.”

No matter how sexy making love under the blood moon sounded, Lance was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to get it up in this cold and he actually was supposed to be taking notes on the moon’s movements while he graded papers. Reluctantly, Lance removed his hand and picked up his laptop and files to work. Keith moved closer and held Lance as his boyfriend worked. Eventually, Keith nodded off and Lance made a makeshift bed where they could lay together and continued to work on his tablet.

Lance didn’t notice when he fell asleep. He only noticed he was still at the water tower when he woke up to the bright morning sun glaring into his eyes with the toasty warmth of his boyfriend wrapped around him. Reluctantly, Lance shifted beneath the blanket, which he now deemed the best present with how warm it had kept him with Keith's added heat, and peered down at his sleeping boyfriend. Lance’s heart tightened. Keith’s lips were parted just slightly, a little wet on the corner, his black hair spread everywhere, and there was a red mark against his chin where Lance had been resting. Lance reached out and brushed Keith’s hair back letting his fingers graze against his smooth cheek, down his neck, and brushed more hair away. It was getting longer. Less of a mullet now and Lance wondered who did Keith’s hair or if he just whacked at it.

Keith moaned softly and shifted closer to Lance. Lance chuckled and leaned in to place a kiss on one eye then Keith’s nose then a slow lingering one to his lips before peppering them all over Keith’s face.

“Stoooop,” Keith groaned.

“The sun’s up, your buns need to be up, too,” Lance teased and clamped down on Keith’s neck.

Keith gasped and pushed Lance away, but the mark was already made. He sat up and rubbed at his neck, a sleepy pout on his face. He blinked and looked around them before taking as much of the blanket as he could and covered himself with it again.

“I don’t want to.”

Lance tried to pull the blanket away, but Keith was strong and had the better hold. He leaned in and started placing kisses to wherever he thought Keith’s face might be. “Come on. We weren’t supposed to sleep out here anyway.”

“You go down first,” Keith said.

“Unfortunately, I can’t go down until I’ve gathered up all my stuff and that includes this blanket,” Lance said and tugged again.

Keith’s hold tightened. “I’m taking your blanket. Boyfriend rights.”

“Boyfrie…” Lance chuckled. Yeah, he’d lost a few hoodies to girlfriends in the past. “Sorry, buddy, but I will fight you for this blanket. We should have froze last night and you've got Kosmo to cuddle at night.”

“Fine,” Keith said and slackened his hold.

Lance pulled the blanket away to find a red-faced Keith beneath. “Hey, there’s my beautiful boyfriend.”

Keith glanced over to Lance and sighed. “You’re the worst.”

“What, why? You can just come to my house and sleep if you want to use it.” Lance winked and Keith only rolled his eyes and rubbed at the spot where Lance bit.

“Are you mad about the bite?”

“No,” Keith said softly and removed his hand. “I just...really like you.”

Lance was unsure exactly what was wrong with Keith. He didn’t seem mad. He moved in closer and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You okay?”

Keith leaned against Lance and sighed. “Just, after the...the purple incident, I wasn’t sure if things like this were going to continue.”

“What, watching a blood moon?”

Keith shook his head. “No, us. Being in a relationship. Waking up with you kissing me, falling asleep under a full moon with you, us lounging around with Kosmo -- I was convinced I wouldn’t get that.”

“Well, you did,” Lance said and pulled Keith closer. “I don’t care what you are, I’ll wake you up with kisses any morning. But, I am taking my blanket back.” Lance kissed Keith’s head before standing. One tug and the blanket was free from Keith’s grasp completely.

Keith looked up at Lance still looking unsure. Lance wrapped himself in the blanket and grinned down at Keith. “If I’m making you happy then be happy. I want to see you happy and flustered whether you’re purple or red.”

Keith grinned and shook his head standing as well. “Come on, I’ll help you pick up.”

After they’d gathered everything and Lance joined Keith for cereal on the porch of Shiro's house, Lance headed back home. His back had an ache from sleeping on the hard metal flooring of the water tower balcony, but there was a nimbleness to his joints. With how many times Lance had gone to Shiro’s house over the past few months, he had made a pretty worn out path through the trees that separated them and new the way. Usually, he headed back home while looking at the stars and they were a better guide, but during the day, Lance had the sun. Which made it odd that Lance found himself off course and insight of the shack. He had started thinking about work and the light airy feeling being with Keith gave him then began dreading seeing the little monsters in his class now that the weekend was finishing.

Lance paused when he heard voices coming from the shack. He moved closer to it and caught sight of a group of three guys inside it with spray paint. Their tagging was crude and Lance recognized at least one of them as a hand from Shiro’s ranch, the one he guessed Keith had problems with. Lance would have liked to go in himself and give them a piece of his mind, but they were three grown men who might have weapons as well. He took a quick picture with his phone and backed up a bit. He was thankful there was such good reception on Shiro’s ranch, Keith told Lance he paid a hefty amount for their internet, too, to have it cover most of the ranch’s main working areas. Lance quickly found a video and turned up the volume letting the voices of a few policemen play while he stayed low and shook some branches. The guys in the shack started yelling at each other and ran off. Lance’s heart was pounding. Shiro really needed better fencing around his forest as well as workers who weren’t homophobes. Roads for flying cars were already being established in America, why were there still people like this?

Once he was sure the hand and his friends were gone, Lance walked up to the shack. He sighed at the words they'd tagged on the outside but didn’t waste time trying to remove the drying paint. Inside was worse. The papers that had been scattered around, that Keith called nothing but hadn’t thrown away, had lines of paint covering parts of them. Strips of wood and fallen roofing now covered all of the shack, not just the collapsed end. Lance walked up to the door in the floor and knelt down. He used an abandoned cloth to tug the blade of a knife out of the space between the door and its frame. Did those guys think there was something worth anything down there? It was caved in, they wouldn’t get far if the occupants of the house hadn’t even bothered with it. Lance stood and stomped against the door. That was all they needed to do to know it wasn’t hollow down there.

The bang was the same, but there was an added creak.

Lance frowned and reached for the lock on the door. With a small tug, it slid loose, scraps of scratched off rust falling from it. He grabbed for the handle and tried to lift, but couldn’t.

“Man, I should get Keith, maybe he could lift it,” Lance sighed then looked closer at the door.

Dirt covered every edge. He couldn’t see any latches, but there were two columns on each side of the door. The door itself was half an inch below the floor of the shack. Lance raised a brow and pushed at the handle. With some effort, it slid away and beneath the floor of the shack only to reveal a cement slate.

“I thought it was collapsed in, not filled in,” Lance said feeling disappointed and reached out to pull the door back in place. He didn’t reach far enough and his hand fell short touching the cement. At first, it was a hard cold surface as he would assume, but there wasn’t any pain with the contact. Instead, his hand fell through the cement. “This...is this some alien shit?”

Lance removed his hand and stared at the cement. Should he? Keith would probably be mad. He’d probably be mad Lance scared away the guys instead of running back to get him. Shiro would be mad Lance didn’t call the cops right away. Either way, they would be mad, might as well. Lance grabbed hold of the sides of the floor and leaned in. His face against the cement felt weird, but then he felt air. He opened his eyes once he was sure he was alive and almost screamed. It was dark and dirty and that was definitely a very large spider in front of him. He scooted back a bit and looked up. The door was actually much thicker and larger than it appeared above which explained the full sound when he stomped on it. The layout of the door had appeared that it should lift, but the mechanisms below it showed it was a complicated series of gears that moved with a push once the lock had been pulled free. Lance wasn’t he would be able to close it. Thank god for leg day. The interesting part, though, was when Lance shifted and saw the opposite side. He barely caught a glimpse of it around a corner, but there was definitely a door. And it glowed. Lance pulled his head out and sat back on his legs.

Okay, so the trap door was actually a secret door. Lance took a deep breath and pulled out his phone.

“Hey,” Keith said from the other line. “Didn’t you just leave, loverboy?”

“Yes I did, but I got distracted thinking about you and found something pretty freaking cool.”

“Oh?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, your shack of nothing is a shack of something. I opened the door in the floor.”

There was silence for a moment. Lance only then wondered if Keith knew the whole time, if this was another secret he’d been keeping and wasn't ready to share, but why keep this when Lance already knew about him turning purple, when Lance could stumble upon it at any time, had done so already?

“Call Pidge,” Keith finally said. “We’re going to need her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a sci-fi fic and a slice of life fic  
> Also, did anyone ever read those Bailey School kid's books? They had titles like "Dracula doesn't drink lemonade" and "Martians don't take temperatures". I don't know if I ever finished one, but I did read multiple of them. Well, that's where I got the title idea from. Except, I don't think any of the characters were ever proven to be martians or draculas, just kids having overactive imaginations and running quirky grown adults out of their jobs.  
> So, basically, Aliens do sell Insurance lol


	12. "In February there is everything to hope for" -- Patience Strong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, Valentine's chapter.   
> Next chapter March, Friday the 13th (and there will be two in March)

**12\. “In February there is everything to hope for” -- Patience Strong**

The muffled sound of an alarm woke Lance. He sat up feeling a strain in his neck and a chill on his feet. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed at the shack with Keith and Pidge, but they had walled themselves in ever since Lance opened the trap door with no food or water with Lance delivering necessities to them even if they ignored them. The first day Lance had come to check on them, Keith had been hacking at the glowing door while Pidge typed away at her laptop. The next, Keith had papers spread out everywhere stabbing through them with his mother’s dagger while Pidge yelled at him. The third day was by far the worse. Lance walked in on Pidge squatted by a tree and she flipped him off as he squealed in surprise only to find Keith passed out against the door with spiders crawling on his arms. After that, he had forced them both to his house for a shower and lectured them on the dangers of camping out then proceeded to give Pidge a bottle of hand sanitizer and a roll of toilet paper.

It had been almost three weeks. Because of the vandalism, Keith and Pidge were both afraid to leave the shack alone. Lance understood that much and took up rounds staying in it and trying to help decipher the door as much as he could. It was definitely an alien door, Lance agreed with that. He had a hypothesis that, like the trap door, the way to open it was easy, but not obvious. There were no locks, no hinges, no windows. Everything else in the revealed hallway was just old collapsed basement, but then there was this door. Lance had been the first to enter. He had called Pidge like Keith had asked then jumped in. He had done it because he hadn’t wanted Keith to hurt himself doing the same thing only then to realize perhaps he should have let the guy who knew how to use a knife go in first. There had been a covering on the glowing door, some debris. Keith had been miffed about him going down first but helped Lance clear the area. The door had only possessed a faint glow until Keith reached out and touched it. It lit up bright and there was a light hum. Pidge was immediately fascinated and Lance could only be grateful that it was the start of a new semester, not the end of it for his friend. He didn’t believe the girl when she said her university work was fine. She might be a genius, but she was still a college student.

The ranch hand Lance had seen apparently quit. He knew Keith hadn’t told Shiro and Lance wasn’t going to tell Shiro because then they would have to tell Shiro about the door. Lance hadn’t been here when the kidnapping happened, he still wasn’t sure it had been aliens even though he was dating one, but it felt wrong to tell Shiro. Pidge had called him after she had hinted to Matt about the door crying and it was rare she cried. He had had a fit, gone silent and stared out a window for hours occasionally mumbling Keith’s father’s name. Lance knew Shiro only had vague memories of that year, but what if Shiro broke when he saw the door? Lance knew what it was like to have memories that hurt.

Lance stretched then reluctantly got to his feet. He really couldn’t run late today, but he had offered to take the night in the shack in exchange for Pidge taking it on Saturday night. He could hear a scraping down in the basement and crawled over to the hole in the boards and peered in. Keith had snuck his way down and was tapping at the door again. The knife he had was longer. It always shifted into more of a short sword than a dagger when he was close to the door.

“Why does your knife do that?” Lance asked.

Keith turned, eyes wide seeing Lance. “Lance? I...I came early to switch off.”

Lance grinned and jumped down then walked up to his boyfriend and kissed his cheek. “I never said you couldn’t. I asked you about your knife.”

Keith looked down at it. “My father handed it to me for my tenth birthday. He told me it was my mother’s. It wasn’t until he, Shiro, and Matt were kidnapped that I activated it. Usually, it only does it when I’m close to Purple Time. I don’t know why it’s doing it when I’m close to the door. Must be the technology here.”

“I think that’s a good guess. You know, if this wasn’t a personal thing for Pidge, it’d be almost funny how frustrated she’s getting not being able to figure out this door.”

“It is personal, though, Lance,” Keith reminded.

Lance sighed. “I know, that’s why it’s not funny.”

Keith tapped his dagger against the door a couple more times before pulling it away. “I think maybe we should give up. I doubt blowing the door up would even work. Pidge thinks there’s like a whole secret lab down here encased in alien metal that won’t explode.”

“Is that what’s down here?” Lance asked.

“That or something really personal, really private. Things an alien mother would cherish,” Keith said.

“Like a time capsule?”

Keith shrugged. “Kind of a big door just for a time capsule.”

“If she could put living things in a time capsule, I’m sure she would have added you to her collection of cherished things,” Lance said.

Keith turned and grinned at Lance then leaned over and nudged him. “You’re trying to make me feel better.”

“Of course I am, I’m your boyfriend and your friend. I care about you.”

“Thank you, Lance,” Keith said and reached out for Lance’s hand with his free one.

Lance took it and squeezed. “Any time, Kitten.”

“I’m serious, though. It might be best to just leave it. My parents have always been good about keeping stuff secret. Anything that could have been useful is gone. When I said those papers in the shack were nothing, I meant it. It’s not like I didn’t try to open that trapdoor a million times when they first disappeared. I even dug around the whole shack. I never found anything.”

“Maybe it would be better to not know what was in there, but I can’t be the only one to ever figure out how to open the trap door. Someone else would have figured it out. It needs to be protected, but I think we need to know what we’re protecting.”

Keith frowned. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m sorry you’re wrapped up in this.”

Lance shrugged. “It’s fine. You’re wrapped up in my shit storm, too, remember? At least yours makes me feel like the love interest of a sci-fi novel protagonist.”

Keith raised a brow. “You’re not the protagonist?”

“Nope! I’d rather play the right-hand man type,” Lance said and raised their connect hands.

Keith turned and leaned in pecking Lance on the lips. “Go back home and shower, Lance. I’ll see you later.”

Lance grinned feeling giddy. “Yes, correct. Don’t forget to bring over all that stuff to the school. My idea for the Christmas party was a hit, I’m glad they let me plan Valentine’s, too.”

Keith rolled his eyes and pushed Lance back towards to hole. “Yeah, yeah, get a move on or you’re going to work looking like a mess.”

Lance waved Keith off and hurried to his house for a quick shower.

Valentine’s.

Unfortunately, the day fell on a weekday this year, but it had been a few years since Lance had actually looked forward to the holiday. Most of high school and college he’d been excited for it ready to get laid if he was single and laid if he wasn’t, but he remembered enjoying it most when he was young. Everyone was your Valentine’s in elementary school. Everyone got cards, got candy, and no one cared about flowers. Sixth grade was in middle school in Arus so the fifth grade was the last child’s Valentine’s the kids would really have. Unlike other holidays like Christmas which were organized for the whole week, they were only given the one day for Valentine’s.

All the fifth grade teachers had agreed to watch Disney movies until the afternoon when they would have a big party. Even though the party was for children, Lance couldn’t help dressing up a little with a red cardigan, a tie decorated with hearts, and slicked back hair. Some of the other teachers wore fun dresses and he complimented them. It was fun having others in the spirit of things.

The day had been arranged so Lance could set up the media room for a large party and it wouldn’t be long before the children came to stuff their face with red and pink sweets and candy. Lance was pretty proud of the decorating, most of it coming from Valentine’s science projects he’d had the students make through the week.

“Are we just feeding the children chips and cake?” asked the media teacher who had been helping Lance with the decorations between classes.

“No, I’ve got a friend that’s like a five-star level when it comes to cooking. I’m having some of his stuff delivered by Coach Shiro’s brother,” Lance said.

“Ah, Keith Kogane. I remember him.”

Lance gasped. “No, you can’t possibly be that old Ms. Baker.”

Ms. Baker laughed. “You’re a flatterer, Mr. McClain, but I see your young cowboy headed this way.”

Lance’s eyes widened and he turned grinning when he saw Keith through the window in his usual flannel and cowboy hat carrying a stack of trays. Lance hurried to the room’s door and opened it for him.

“Thanks,” Keith said moving past Lance.

“You’re welcome. I thought I asked Hunk for tacos, not a five-course meal. The students already had lunch earlier.”

“Tacos is apparently a five-course meal to Hunk,” Keith replied and turned to Ms. Baker. “Where can I set this?”

“This way, sweetie.”

Lance followed Keith to one of the tables in the back near all the candy and chips and helped him spread out the food. There was a stack of handmade tortillas and three different types of meat to put in them.

“Man, I hope you like leftovers, Keith,” Lance said.

“It’s Hunk’s food and a quarter of the students are preteens already,” Keith shot back. “But I’m not against having leftovers. It was hard enough not to eat this on the way over here.”

“I’m guessing you brought the truck and not that bike, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Of course. I wouldn’t risk it with Hunk’s cooking, unlike your lunch.”

Ms. Baker suddenly laughed getting their attention. “I’m sorry, it’s just nice to see this. I had an aunt who lived with her ‘good friend’ for years without anyone figuring it out. She told me when I went to college.”

Lance smiled. “Yeah? It sounds like they stayed together for a long time.”

“They did,” Ms. Baker said and turned to fix something on another table.

Lance turned to Keith. “Think we could stay together that long?”

Keith hummed. “Don’t know, but I’m not interested in letting you go any time soon.”

“Nah, you’ve got me wrapped up pretty tight, don’t you Cowboy,” Lance teased and leaned in stealing a kiss.

The door to the room opened and someone cleared their throat. Lance turned to see the principal staring at him with beady eyes.

“I believe we had a talk not too long ago, Mr. McClain,” the principle started.

“Yes we did,” Lance said and forced himself not to roll his eyes. “I’m sure you’ve seen Keith before.”

“Yes, Coach Shiro’s...ranch handler?”

Keith nudged Lance and stood up straighter. “We prefer brothers for lack of better words. I brought the food.” He turned to Lance. “Hunk sent me with Horchata and some sodas. I’m going to go get that.”

“Yeah, sure, see you in a minute, Keithy,” Lance said.

The principal took a step closer to Lance ignoring Ms. Baker. Obviously, she hadn’t told him the story of her aunt.

“Mr. McClain, if I have to…”

Lance cut him off. He tapped his nose then pointed towards the door grinning. “Might want to rethink your words if you don’t want another retraction from Mr. Charming Foreign Donator.”

The principal turned to see Allura and Lotor entering the room. Lotor had a hand on Allura’s waist and they were laughing about something. The principal immediately straightened up and approached them.

“Mr. Daibazaal, I wasn’t expecting the visit,” the principle greeted.

“Ah, yes, I came to speak with Miss Altea on matters and she mentioned a Valentine’s Day party. This is beautiful. For the fifth graders, correct? Their last Valentine’s party in elementary, how darling,” Lotor said.

“Ah, yes. Mr. McClain did a very fine job decorating I think.”

“I would say, did the students make these?” Allura asked walking up to some of the projects decorating the walls.

“Yes, I like to put the holidays into my lessons, make it a bit more fun for them. We’re on biology right now so we’re fitting the holidays just right.”

“Hey, Lance, a little help!”

“Oh, Keith, you’re back.” Lance hurried to the door to open it. “You should have asked me to go with you if you were going to bring all that in one go.”

“I’m strong,” Keith defended trying not to let the sodas in a very torn plastic bag fall while holding a container of Horchata in the other.

“I’m aware, but this is what you have a boyfriend for. If I can ask you to deliver all of this, you can ask me to help you carry it,” Lance said catching a soda as it slipped out.

Keith hefted everything up on a table and frowned at Lance. “Thanks.”

Lance reached up and adjusted Keith’s hat. “No, thank you for doing this.”

“You’re Keith Kogane?” Lotor asked getting both men’s attention.

Keith frowned at Lotor. “Yeah, I guess we haven’t properly met yet.”

“No we haven’t,” Lotor said and reached out a hand.

Keith took it, but he was still frowning.

“You live on the ranch, correct? Have you always lived there?” Lotor asked.

“Mostly.”

Lance moved closer to Keith and wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulder. He winked at Lotor. “The rest of the time he lives with me.”

Lotor looked confused for a moment then laughed. “Why yes, of course. Splendid.”

“Uh, I’m going to go back to the ranch,” Keith said and moved away from Lance.

“Wait, hold up.” Lance hurried after Keith and stopped him in an empty hall. “What’s up with you and Lotor.”

Keith frowned and held up the hand he had shook Lotor’s with. “I...it felt weird. He freaks me out enough being who he is and knowing all those women that I keep seeing around Altea, but when I touched him...I didn’t like it. There’s something familiar. Maybe I just met him when I was younger.”

Lance moved closer to Keith and took Keith’s hand. “Hey, it’s okay to be freaked out by someone. Some people are more attuned to when other people are hiding stuff. Especially when they are hiding something.”

“I’m being paranoid, aren’t I?” Keith sighed.

“No, not at all. Just, everyone isn’t for everyone. Lotor creeps me out, too.”

Keith grinned. “Really?”

Lance moved in closer. “Yeah.”

“Lance, you should go back. Aren’t the students coming soon?”

“Hmm, yeah, but I want to kiss you.”

“Lance,” Keith warned.

“If you were a woman, the principle wouldn’t care. He’s just a hypocrite. Texas is still a little behind the times, but Arus as a district won’t fire me for kissing you when there are no students around.”

“Okay.”

Lance leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Keith’s. He only stayed a couple seconds, anything else might actually get him fired not that the high schoolers didn’t give blow jobs in the back of the middle school gym. He sighed as he pulled away.

“Thank you for delivering all of that. You really didn’t have to.”

“It’s not a problem, really. I won’t complain about an excuse to see you all cutely dressed up like this.” Keith reached out and tugged Lance’s tie.

Lance chuckled and pulled away. “Saturday night?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you Saturday night.”

Lance watched Keith leave for a moment before heading back to the room. Allura had started helping Ms. Baker with the last of the setup and Lotor was having his ear talked off by the principle. Lance walked over to the table and started rolling up his sleeves so he could serve the students when they came in. Lotor hurried away from the principle and headed to Lance and Lance couldn’t really blame the guy, he wouldn’t want to listen to the principle for long either.

“So, have you and Kogane been together for long?” Lotor asked.

“You don’t know? I’d think the princess would give you those juicy details.”

Lotor sighed. “She’s...become more closed off about her friends recently.”

“Hmm, can you blame her?”

“No, no I can’t,” Lotor said.

Lance turned and looked at the man. There was a sadness in his eyes that Lance didn’t expect.

“I came here ready to settle down. I think Keith’s interested in that, too, or as much of that as we can get.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be a lot of work. Guys like that...they’re hiding things, but they’re not things you can entrust to someone so easily,” Lotor said.

“How do you figure that?” Lance felt annoyed. He hadn’t thought about it, not since he had first met Keith, but even he had misjudged his boyfriend. Keith looked like the rough sort of troublemaker with no future. But, others didn’t know Keith. They didn’t know he liked to nap with his huge fluffy dog as a pillow on his back porch when autumn leaves fell. They didn’t know he not only collected knives but nerdy anime and video game replica swords. They didn’t know about his cute little Calcifer backpack (Keith had made him watch the movie after Lance had asked him about it then they both fawned over Howl together). They didn’t know how soft and vulnerable Keith looked when he felt safe and warm in Lance’s arms. They didn’t know anything.

Lotor didn’t know anything.

Lotor lifted the had he had shook Keith’s with and frowned at it. “I...just have a feeling we’re similar. You can’t truly entrust yourself to someone whose life is mostly comprised of secrets or lies.”

Lance turned away. He knew that all too well. “And you would know?”

Lotor glanced over at Allura laughing with Ms. Baker. “I would know, McClain. Just...keep Kogane safe.” He reached out and patted Lance’s shoulder.

Lance watched Lotor move over to Allura and they walked out with the principle. He reached up to his shoulder frowning. What did Lotor know exactly?

☆

Lance felt like a ninja rushing between his house and the water tower Saturday trying not to get caught by Keith who was supposed to be working at the insurance company after he switched out with Pidge at the shack in the morning. He didn’t want anything to be spoiled for Keith and he was glad the weather had warmed up so they wouldn’t freeze in the water tower though it was still chilly. He was back in his house when there was a knock on the door and he went to it smiling when Hunk appeared with a tower of treats.

“You know, I like when Valentine’s is on a weekday. I can get one of our part-timers to cover on weekdays so Shay and I can have our date, but then I have these friends who like to ask me to cook Valentine’s Day meals for them. Do you know how many meals I’ve cooked this week?” Hunk asked pushing past Lance when he opened the door.

“Wow, not even a hello?”

Hunk ignored him and continued on to the kitchen where he dropped his pile and turned to point a finger at Lance. “You are the biggest criminal in all of this. I had to cook for you twice!”

Lance grinned and shrugged. “Hey, one time was for the children, come on.”

“Yeah, and that’s fine. And cooking for my best friend is fine. Cooking for Pidge who burns toast is fine. Hey, even Allura paid me to cook for her and Lotor’s "not" date. Darling Shay, she’s so sweet, decided she wanted to eat out for Valentine’s so I didn’t have to cook. I love cooking for her,” Hunk lamented.

Lance frowned and moved over to his friend. “Hey, buddy, you doing okay?”

Hunk sighed. “I’m just tired of cooking.”

Lance gasped. “Okay, something is definitely wrong if you’re saying that.”

Hunk made a face and straightened up. “It’s nothing, just reconsidering some life choices.”

“Not Shay, though, right?”

“Shay’s the only thing I’m sure about right now. I’m not in any trouble or anything, don’t worry about it, Lance. You should have a good time with Keith, okay?”

Lance reached out and patted Hunk’s arm. “Okay, but come talk to me any time, okay? We don’t always have to play videogames and do face masks when I come over to hang out if you don’t want to. I love talking.”

Hunk grinned. “Thanks, man, but I’m sure things will work out, I’m just thinking over stuff.”

“Well, don’t think too hard. Unlike Pidge, you usually know when to stop. Speaking of Pidge, you cooked for her?”

Now, that got Hunk smiling. “Yeah, she had a date~.”

“With who?” Lance asked. “She hasn’t gone on a date since you both tried dating Romelle, right?”

Hunk held up a finger. “That is true. However, who Pidge went on a date with should be pretty obvious since this is their second date technically.”

Lance’s eyes widened and he laughed. “Romelle? She was talking to her at Allura’s New Year's party.”

Hunk hummed in agreement and looked at his watch. “Alright, I’ve got to get back to the cafe. You and Keith have a good time and don’t waste the food.”

Lance eyed the stack. “I’ll only bring enough to actually eat. The rest is going in the fridge.”

“Right, well, see yeah,” Hunk said and went back out to his SUV.

Lance waved him off then walked back to his room to take one last look at himself. It wasn’t anything super fancy, but Lance wanted to look good for their romantic date. He’d decided on red pants he’d found somewhere in the back of his closet that still fit him or maybe he’d started losing weight from helping Shiro with soccer which meant free school gym time. He’d pushed his hair back, but only a little letting it fly free but out of his face. He winked at himself in the mirror then went to the kitchen to portion out the food Hunk had brought. Perhaps he could have asked Keith to cook, but since Lance was planning the date, that seemed a little wrong. Lance could have cooked, but nothing he knew how to make seemed romantic enough for Valentine’s. Any other date and he would have. The cake though, now that Lance didn’t regret asking Hunk to make because pancakes were as close as Lance could get to baked goods. He packed it all up into his jeep then rushed to the shack.

“Pidge!” Lance yelled as he walked into the shack.

A head of sandy orange hair popped up from the trap door hole. “What!”

“Pidge and Romelle sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-Hey, that was a rock, Pidgey!”

“Hunk is a traitor and I’m not giving you the present I’ve been hiding.”

“Oh, come on, Pidge,” Lance said and walked up to the trap door.

Pidge glared up at Lance then disappeared. She came back a moment later and threw a box at him. “You’re a sappy idiot and I hate you.”

Lance laughed and held the box to his chest. “Thanks for doing all of this, Pidge. Really, you do a lot. I’m happy for you. Romelle is fun.”

Pidge looked away. “She is...I was just too busy to see that before. I...I never mind doing these things for my friends and you’re risking a lot, too.”

“You’re actually really sweet, Katie,” Lance said and smiled. “If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, talk to me, okay?”

“Thanks, Lance,” Pidge said and looked away blushing. “I...I might need some advice on physical stuff in the future.”

“Absolutely. I won’t make it weird,” Lance promised.

Pidge groaned. “You’re already making it weird. Hurry up and pick Keith up, the sun is almost gone”

Lance was quick with setting up Hunk’s food in the water tower. Everything else was still in place and he checked his reflection one more time before making the trek to Shiro’s house. He felt a little silly doing this, but it was their second official date with all the bells and whistles and Lance wanted to start this old school by picking Keith up at his front door. It was Shiro that answered. He was wearing sweats and had a bag of chips in his hands. There was scruff on his chin as if he hadn’t shaved and he was wearing glasses. He leaned against the doorframe and looked Lance up and down before biting into a chip with a smirk.

“You here for my brother?” Shiro asked.

“Shiro,” Lance groaned.

Shiro waved an oily hand at Lance. “Come on, come on, entertain me. Keith’s never had a boy pick him up before. Play along.”

“Fine,” Lance sighed, but straightened up and cleared his throat. “Yes, sir, Mr. Shirogane, sir.”

Shiro snorted into his sleeve then moved back and held the door opened for Lance. “Well come on in then, son, don’t want you to freeze out there.”

Lance moved into the familiar house and stole a chip from Shiro’s bag while looking around. Kosmo was in the hall sat in front of a door with flattened ears. “Keith still in his room?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t wait out here while I embarrassed him. Keith, your loverboy is here!” Shiro called and moved into the living room where he flopped onto the couch and continued to munch away on his bag of chips while staring at the television. The news was on and Lance wondered if Matt had changed shifts at the station today to cover for the holiday.

The door down the hall clicked open and Lance turned to see Keith shuffle past with a whining Kosmo. Lance couldn’t help it, he smiled as he took in his boyfriend, his heart beating faster. Keith was wearing black leggings and what looked like a pleated black skirt with chains hanging from it. He had an oversized red sweater falling off one shoulder with a little heart embroidered over his left pectoral and some kind of black tank underneath. Around his neck was a thin piece of leather tied like a choker into a cute little bow and he had red clips holding back his hair on one side.

“Hey there pretty Keithy,” Lance greeted.

Keith looked up at him and rolled his eyes, but the way he rubbed one hand up and down his other arm told Lance he was pleased.

“You’re a little late.”

“Sorry, I found out Pidge is dating Romelle, had to tease her,” Lance said.

“Oh, I already knew that. She let me do her hair as payback for our date,” Keith said and went over to the couch shoving Shiro aside as he dug a bag out from under his pseudo-brother.

“But her style was cute on you,” Lance said eying Shiro. The older man had a sort of blase expression as he watched the television which Lance hadn’t seen before.

“I didn’t do her wrong.” Keith pulled out a black leather bag from beneath Shiro and kicked the back of the couch getting Shiro to actually glare at him. “I’m leaving now, don’t expect me back tonight.”

“Just don’t break Lance,” Shiro said waving them off. “I need him to do soccer practice this week.”

Kosmo barked after them then rushed towards Shiro. Lance barely heard a scream from the man before Keith had slammed the door with a miffed look. Lance glanced between the door and Keith then started walking.

“So, what’s up with Shiro? I’ve never seen him looking so much like a...uh…”

“He’s a bum,” Keith supplied. “It’s Valentine’s and Matt went on a date with one of his single co-workers.”

“Oh, really? I thought they were pining or something.”

Keith sighed. “It’s complicated. They do go on dates with other people sometimes, but they’ve always been friends. Actually, they did have sex at least once. I heard about it one night when Shiro was drunk after he broke up with Allura. Matt didn’t want to go into high school a virgin and Shiro was figuring out his pansexuality. A mutual agreement that probably stemmed from actual attraction.”

Lance winced. “Yeah okay. They’ve been through a lot.”

Keith hummed his agreement and walked a little in front of Lance. Lance looked up and down Keith’s outfit one more time (the tank was cropped, Lance could see skin through the sweater on his midriff) before sighing.

“You look like an androgynous dream, Keith.”

Keith slowed to walk beside Lance as they moved further from the house. He smirked at Lance. “Androgynous, emo, cowboy -- you sure say I look like a lot of your dreams, Lance.”

Lance winked and leaned in lowering his voice as he purred a response. “That’s because you’re all my dreams come true, Kitten.”

Keith paused.

Lance stopped and turned ready to admit maybe that had been a bit too cheesy even for a cheesy holiday date. The look he found on Keith’s face said something different. Keith stared at him stunned, stars shining in his eyes making them look bigger than they already were (Lance wondered if that was part of his alien genes or if life was just so unfair in making this specimen so beautiful). Slowly, Keith looked away with the softest of smiles. In that moment, Lance felt nothing, heard nothing, could think of nothing but how Keith made his heart thump so loudly with just a simple sweet reaction to a stupid cheesy line he hadn’t even thought through.

Keith was perfect.

And Lance, in all fairness because who could blame him he’d fight them if they tried, but, well, Lance…

Lance was in love.

It felt like forever before Lance registered that Keith had started moving again. His boyfriend stepped up to him and placed a soft kiss to his chin before pressing his cheek against Lance’s and whispered in his ear. “If a genie offered to grant me three wishes I’d tell him I had nothing to wish for because my greatest wish is already standing right here in front of me.” Then, he slid his hands into Lance’s.

Fuuuuuuuccckkkkk. Lance wanted to melt.

“You’re perfect,” Lance squeaked.

Keith chuckled and started dragging Lance with him towards the water tower. After a few moments, the hold slackened a bit and he fell into step beside Lance, just one hand with fingers intertwined with Lance’s. “Do you really like the outfit?”

“Yeah, absolutely, it looks cute on you. I wouldn’t have taken you for a fashionista the first time I met you, but I think I get your style now. I should have guessed with those boots you wore. It’s like modern art on your feet.”

“They’re designer,” Keith said.

“Fuck, really?”

“Yep, got them with my first paycheck. They’re really well made.”

“If you’ve had them that long, I would imagine so. Worth the money then.”

“Yeah, I...well, not everyone is willing to shop in every section of a store,” Keith said.

Lance frowned. “I’m a teacher so I have a dress code and I like button-ups and slacks. They look sophisticated.”

“I’m a fan of you like that,” Keith said. “Sexy teacher."

Lance coughed. “God, Keith, give me a few years first, okay. I need to get used to being a teacher before we start roleplaying.”

Keith shrugged. “I didn’t have a hot male teacher growing up. Oh, that’s a gay dream for me!”

Lance chuckled. “I guess it is. Okay, ah, but, my cousins, my real sisters are older than me and I did like dressing up with them. The makeup and girl clothes look fun. When my adopted sisters Nadia and Ina first came, they would force me into Mama McClain’s clothes so I could have tea parties with them. I learned women’s pants aren’t for me.”

“Because you’re hung?” Keith offered smugly.

Lance bobbed his head and couldn’t help shifting a bit to adjusted. “Yeah, basically. Ah, but there was a point to this. I’m cool with you wearing anything honestly. Or nothing. That works too.”

“That might happen tonight, we’ll see,” Keith said.

Right, Lance had definitely brought essentials for that.

“I use to wear my mom’s clothes, too,” Keith said, the water tower not far off.

“Oh?”

“After she...She had to go back to her planet I guess. That’s what I always assumed. But, when she went back, she left all her clothes. I never wanted to bother Shiro’s grandmother or my dad about clothes so I would wear my mom’s stuff. They were a little big, but during high school, I grew into the pants and just chopped off the bottoms when they were too long. I liked the sweaters the most, though. It was like she was there, with me, holding me and keeping me warm. They were a comfort when I went into foster care. They were old, though, and I had to get rid of most of them eventually, but like, I’m only half human, I don’t need to conform to human’s thoughts on gendered clothing. Pidge still shops in the children’s section and that’s cool with people.”

“Wait, Pidge still shops in the children section?”

“Those cargo shorts she’s always wearing, boy’s section.” Keith let go of Lance’s hand and made a circle with his. “Her waist is tiny!”

“Wow,” Lance said and stared up at the sky. He was glad it was clear, so many stars. He remembered a blanket his mother left him when he was a child before she and his father went back to Cuba. It had been his baby blanket, but he’d fit beneath it until he was eight. Still, he’d kept it until it was literal tatters. He was sure he still had a piece of it in his room somewhere, but it had reminded him of a mother’s hug. At least all he had to do was get the courage to jump on a plane to feel his mother’s arms. There still wasn’t a way for humans to get civilian passage to the moon, forget about wherever Keith’s mother was.

Lance lifted a hand and wrapped it around Keith pulling him close. “Thanks for sharing that, Keith.”

Keith moved a free hand to wrap around Lance’s waist. “I already shared with you the most important thing. Let’s not sweat the small stuff.”

“Sure,” Lance agreed even though he didn’t think anything Keith shared with him was small.

When they reached the ladder to the water tower, Lance hurried up to make sure everything was still in place then waved Keith up. He leaned against the railing and waited, grinning when Keith finally made it to the top looking not even a little bit winded.

“Want to see something cool?” Lance asked and turned to a little pulley he'd rigged up a couple weeks ago to help with getting parts up to update his equipment without constantly having to go up and down the water tower ladder. He began to crank it and a little bucket with ice housing a bottle of champagne and two glasses appeared.

“Why did you leave the drinks down there?” Keith asked.

“Warm air rises,” Lance said as he fished the bucket out and lowered the chain back down. “It's colder down there and I wanted to show you. It'll come in handy for more than just romantic drinks under the stars.”

“Oh, yeah, that's cool,” Keith said and took the bottle from Lance. He popped it opened and Lance held out the glasses for Keith to pour.

Lance turned back towards the railing and looked up at the sky. “It's really clear tonight. We can eat out here if you want, but the food's inside.”

“Lead the way,” Keith said. “I didn't have a large lunch.”

Lance placed his hand on the low of Keith's back and led him inside the water tower, a grin crossing his lips when Keith gasped. Lance’s machinery had been condensed into one area and in the clear space, Lance had layered carpets and blankets and pillows to make a place to relax. He had covered the crates that the equipment had come in with red and black fabric and lit LED candles and fairy light to give it a romantic glow. Lance lightly pressed his hand where it lay on Keith’s back to guide him to the blankets and pillows so he could sit.

“This is...so charming,” Keith said as he sat and ran his hand along the blankets beneath him.

Lance winked at him as he moved to where he’d hid the food. “Did you expect anything else from me?”

“That’s right, you are quite charming,” Keith agreed. “Silly, but charming.”

Lance placed the best looking steak on Keith’s plate and smiled to himself. “Doesn’t win out against Hunk’s food though, I’m guessing.”

“Of course not,” Keith agreed. “I feel bad he had to cook for you twice.”

“You knew?” Lance asked emerging with their main dish on two clear plastic plates. He placed one down in front of Keith and then sat down next to him handing over silverware.

Keith poked at his steak. “I might have asked Hunk to teach me a romantic meal I could cook for us, but he told me not to bother this time, he’d show me later. These look so good, though.”

“Go ahead and dig in, _mi corazon_ ,” Lance said.

Keith’s reaction was delayed, but Lance was quite satisfied with the stutter of a cut off question as Keith realized what he'd said. Lance waited until Keith had started eating before digging in. Hunk had really outdone himself with the heart-shaped steaks and, Lance wasn’t sure what it was, some kind of potato salad, but with chunks of red skin potatoes to go with the Valentine's theme and fresh heart shaped vegetables and cheeses Lance brought out on a separate plate to pick at. He played soft piano music from his phone as they ate and chatted softly about their week.

“Did Hunk make dessert?” Keith asked as he finished off the last heart of cheese.

“Absolutely,” Lance said. Lance pulled out a delicately decorated cake on a fancy cake platter Lance would have to return to Hunk later. “I asked him to make it pink and I think he said it was some kind of champagne flavor. Champagne and rose? I just told him to make it taste romantic.”

Keith chuckled. “It’s gotta be delicious. Want to share a big piece outside and drink a bit more?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Lance agreed. “Go on ahead.”

Lance waited until Keith was outside before grabbing the box he’d gotten from Pidge. He stuffed it in the back of his waistband and then cut a piece of cake and joined Keith. They sat at the railing with their legs dangling over the side feeding each other bites of cake.

“Lance, you’re going to get frosting all over me,” Keith laughed as Lance tried to shove a piece of cake into his mouth.

“It’s revenge, Keith. You can’t put frosting on me and not expect retribution.”

Keith put the plate of cake he was holding down and caught Lance’s arm. Lance didn’t try and fight the hold, he didn’t really want to know who would win if they fought for real. Instead, he looked curiously at Keith who grinned then leaned in and licked the frosting he had ‘accidentally’ smeared across Lance’s cheek. Lance was a little grossed out when Keith licked his cheek, but then he followed after by kissing down his chin and, like with the sniffing, Lance could roll with this.

“That make up for it?” Keith asked with a purr.

“Hmm, don’t know, think I might have some on my mouth.”

Keith lifted a hand to Lance’s chin and pressed his thumb to Lance’s bottom lip. “I think you do.” He leaned in and kissed just Lance’s bottom lip then licked Lance before properly placing his lips against Lance’s.

Lance fell into the kiss easily. It was messy as he let Keith lead, but messy could be hot. He pulled away when Keith tried to pull his legs out from the railings.

“Hold on there, Kitten, I’ve got something for you.”

Face flushed and puffy lips frowning, Keith settled back down. He leaned his head against the railing and watched as Lance pulled out the black box from his waistband.

“Um, happy Valentine’s Day, Keith,” Lance said and handed his boyfriend the box.

Keith sat up and took the box with furrowed brows. “You didn’t have to get me anything. The date’s enough.”

Lance smiled and reached out to twirl a lock of Keith’s hair absently. He wondered how long it would get before Keith chopped it off. “I figured you’d say something like that, but it’s our first together. Don’t expect a present every year.”

“Every year, huh,” Keith mused and opened the box.

Inside, placed on black fabric, was a large pocket knife. Lance didn’t know much about blade quality, but he knew he’d paid a pretty dollar for the gift and he’d always been the type to spoil a lover with gifts. He knew he didn’t have to with Keith, but Lance was a sentimental spender and he hoped Keith would appreciate it. The hilt was black, but as Keith lifted it and held it up to the starlight subtle shifts of navy could be seen within along with small specks of silver like stars. Keith stared at it for a long time moving it around the sky to different points before finally lowering it.

“My mother left during the summer. When I asked my father about it he would always point to the sky. When I started school, the other children told me that meant she was in heaven, but then I was told why I turned purple and I realized my dad was never just pointing in any old direction, he was always pointing to her home. How...how did you know which way it was?”

Lance moved his hand in Keith’s hair and rubbed the back of his neck, but didn’t make Keith turn to face him. “You pointed it out during our first date at the planetarium. I uh...there was a place for names, too, but I wanted you to keep the knife even if I become too annoying for you.”

“Lance,” Keith started, his tone sharp, but it softened when he repeated his boyfriend’s name. “Oh my god, Lance...these…”

“Pidge told me your parent’s names.”

Keith folded the blade into the handle and held the knife to his chest. Lance continued to rub at Keith’s chest. Finally, Keith turned to Lance. His eyes were a little red, but it looked like he’d managed to keep any tears from falling not that Lance would have cared. He’d still love Keith all sobbing and gross.

“Lance,” Keith said, “whatever past lover you had that broke up with you because you’re annoying, I’ll stab them with this knife. You are annoying, but you’re perfect.”

Lance snorted and tucked some of Keith’s hair behind his ear where it came loose from the clips. “I thank you for the offer. I’m taking it that you liked your present?”

“I love it, Lance,” Keith said and leaned in to kiss Lance then turned it into a series of slow, but chaste kisses. Keith pulled away and put the knife back in his box. He stood and held out a hand to Lance. “I had a present prepared for you, too.”

Lance raised a brow and took Keith’s hand. “Oh? I liked your last one, I’m sure I’ll like this one, too.”

Keith smiled at him then pulled Lance back into the water tower. He pushed Lance to sit down against one of the covered crates then moved to stand in the middle of the blankets and pillows. Lance watched Keith look around then glance at Lance before looking away. He lifted a hand to the back of his head and scrunched his other hand into the hem of his skirt.

“I...well it’s not as sentimental as what you got me, um, but,” Keith started then took a deep breath and stood straighter, holding his arms out. “It’s me, your present is me.”

“Oh? In what sense?” Lance asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy you immensely, Keith, but you can’t give me a person.”

Keith groaned. “I...I’ll do whatever you want tonight is what I’m saying.” He glanced over at his bag in the corner then down at his shoes. “I brought another change of clothes, so, free reign. Whatever you want. I don’t have a lot of experience, but I like it when you tell me what to do in that regard.”

Yeah, Lance had already picked up on that, but he leaned forward and looked his boyfriend up and down not able to keep from wanting to embarrass him a little more. “You sure, Kitten? What if I want to tie you up and spank you until you’re right on the edge then leave you like that until the morning and make you cum while you’re waking up?”

A shiver ran through Keith, but his nose crinkled. “I...I would rather not be fucked while I’m asleep...yet.”

“Noted,” Lance said and stood walking up to Keith. “Stand still.”

Keith dropped his arms and stood quietly while Lance circled him. He reached out and tugged on Keith’s hair then ran his fingers through it before trailing his hand along Keith’s shoulder and tilted his head up as Lance came to stand in front of him. “I have some ideas, Kitten. I can’t really pull anything too kinky out of my hat on such short notice, but I’ve got a few ideas. However, I need your full and complete agreeance. I need consent. It’s only our second time and you aren’t completely familiar with your own boundaries.” Lance pulled away satisfied with the way Keith’s adam apple bobbed as Lance dragged a finger down Keith's neck.

“Keith?” Lance asked.

“I agree,” Keith said.

“Good,” Lance said and stood back to take in Keith. Usually, it was one night stands where Lance got creative with sex. There were awkward attempts at bdsm and kinks with his high school girlfriend, but she’d had experience. Plaxum had never asked for anything other than sex is baths, showers, pools, once on the beach that Lance really hadn’t been properly prepared for. Keith was new but wild and Lance didn’t mean that because he was an alien though that did add a few unknowns to their sex life Lance couldn’t deny he was interested in. There was a lot of things Lance wanted to do with Keith, a lot of things he wanted Keith to do with him, but this was only their second time together. He thought back to their first. There was something he had held back on last time because he wanted Keith to be in control.

“Keith, take off your shoes and leggings,” Lance instructed.

Keith tensed up for a second before toeing off his shoes then reached beneath his skirt to pull his leggings off and toed them away as well. There was hair on Keith’s legs, though it was fine. Lance was used to waxing his own leg hair. From their last time, Lance knew Keith was pretty much hairless everywhere else, he didn’t even see signs of facial hair on his face. Lance didn’t really care either way, he was just in love with how the hemline of that skirt fell tantalizingly high on Keith’s thighs. They were so thick and sculpted. Getting his head between them was high on his list.

Lance walked back up to Keith. He tilted his boyfriend’s face up and took in his expression. His forehead was scrunched up like he was angry, eyes slitted, but the flush on his cheeks told Lance he was just embarrassed.

“Awe, Kitten,” Lance said and slid his other hand beneath Keith’s sweater. “Relax.”

Keith gasped at the touch. He stopped glaring at Lance, but his brows stayed furrowed. Lance ran his fingers up and down Keith’s abdomen feeling the indent of muscles there. He wanted to lick them so bad. He should have laid Keith down and eaten food off him. Maybe another time. Lance moved his hand up further beneath the cropped tank and pinched one of Keith’s nipples getting a soft groan from his boyfriend.

Lance leaned in against Keith’s ear and nibbled the lobe before whispering. “I want to touch you, Keith. Every inch of you.”

Keith shuddered and nodded slowly.

Lance moved both his hands beneath Keith’s shirt and leaned in to kiss him while he felt all of Keith’s skin. He moved his hand to Keith’s back and rubbed up and down entertained by how Keith held his arms out awkwardly as he kissed back. Lance moved away just to tell Keith “Lift your arms,” and then he pulled Keith’s sweater and tank off. Once that skin was revealed, Lance kissed down along Keith’s neck, finding a place that made him growl softly to bite and suck leaving a mark before continuing down. He kissed lightly along Keith’s collarbone then over one pectoral purpling a ring around one nipple before going to the other pectoral and sucking the already aroused nipple there. When Lance got to Keith’s abdomen, he lowered to one knee and licked from the band of the skirt up the line of his abs, hands rubbing up and down Keith’s legs.

“Lance~” Keith moaned as Lance added marks to Keith’s abdomen. “Y-you don’t have to make me purple.”

Lance shot Keith a shit eating grin. He hadn’t even thought about that. He removed a hand and rubbed the marks he’d made lovingly. “It’s such a pretty color on you, Kitten.”

Keith rolled his glazed eyes, look only ruined further by how he held his arms out awkwardly again.

“Hold your arms above your head, Keith,” Lance ordered.

Keith did, the muscles in them flexing with the motion and Lance was a weak weak man. Lithe and toned and pretty, Keith was so unfair.

“Turn for me,” Lance said.

Keith kicked his discarded clothes away as he turned now revealing his bare back. Lance grabbed his hips and leaned up to lick a stripe along Keith’s spine. Keith arched back and shivered moaning Lance’s name again. Lance stood to plant more kisses and added purple marks on Keith’s shoulder blades. He finished by lifting Keith’s hair and adding one more mark to the very back of his neck.

“The handlers might see these,” Keith said softly as Lance wrapped his arms around Keith and held him close.

“Let them, you’ve got a new knife,” Lance said and spun Keith around to kiss roughly. Keith lowered his hands to Lance’s hair, but Lance grabbed them and held them back above his head. He nipped Keith’s bottom lip before pulling away. “Don’t lower them yet, I’m not done.”

“Lance,” Keith protested, but Lance kissed him to keep him quiet.

Lance stepped back and started to undo his shirt and pants.

“Am I...staying in this skirt?” Keith asked.

“Fuck yeah you are,” Lance said and shucked off his pants.

Keith’s face flushed hard and he squeaked out, “Wh-why?”

“Because it’s hot,” Lance said now completely naked. He moved back up to Keith circling him again. “Just think about it, your hard dick with nothing to constrain it just hidden beneath this short little skirt. I could just lift it and see everything.”

Keith groaned. “I never thought about it.”

Lance moved up behind Keith again and rubbed his hands along Keith’s sides and down his thighs then back up beneath the skirt. His hands grazed across soft fabric bands high on Keith’s hips and he tucked a finger beneath one side snapping the elastic back against Keith’s skin. “What kind of underwear are these even?”

“The kind you wear with leggings,” Keith said, voice hitching as Lance snapped the other side.

“Hmm, let’s have a look then,” Lance said and dropped to his knees again. He lifted the skirt and grinned seeing great amounts of his boyfriend’s plush ass sticking out of the underwear. They were a bright red, not exactly fancy, and definitely made for men, but were probably supposed to be ‘invisible’. Lance thought he’d seen something similar in a sportswear store.

“Ever heard of a panty shot?” Lance asked.

Keith glanced back at Lance with a deadpan look that didn’t hold its fierceness when he was still flushed. “Don’t you dare use your phone to take pictures of my underwear.”

Lance reached up and grabbed one butt cheek with his hand massaging his fingers into it. “Hmm, real camera? More private that way.”

“You don’t have one.”

“Shoot, a missed opportunity.”

Lance reached around Keith and dipped his hand into Keith’s underwear to pull out his cock that wasn’t fully hard, but Keith’s legs shook as Lance rubbed along it. There was a small wet spot on his underwear. Lance untucked Keith from them then started to pull them down his legs.

“Step out of these and let me see you, Keith,” Lance ordered.

Keith obeyed and turned, his hands resting on the back of his neck as he looked down at Lance.

“Hey there, pretty,” Lance said and ran his hands up and down Keith’s legs. “Let’s see that pretty dick of yours.”

Lance lifted the front of Keith’s skirt, the little chains dangling cutely as Keith’s erection was exposed, tip pearled and flushing bright. With one hand, Lance began to stroke it grinning up at Keith. “You feeling good, Kitten?”

Keith nodded slowly.

“I’ll show you something fun about skirts,” Lance said then flipped the skirt over his head and guided Keith’s cock into his mouth and pressed the tip against his cheek. Keith hissed above him. The hand Lance had still holding onto one of Keith’s thighs felt the muscles there tighten. Lance moved off and licked Keith’s shaft getting down to his balls before coming back up then popped it into his mouth again, but only for a few strokes. There was something more he wanted to do.

Lance pulled away and looked up at Keith still stroking Keith beneath the skirt. “How was that?”

“Couldn’t see your face,” Keith said. “Or your hand.”

“Makes it a mystery what I’m doing, right?”

Keith nodded.

Lance stopped stroking Keith and went back to rubbing his thighs. “Hey, Keith, there’s something I’ve really wanted to do. I think you’ll enjoy it, but you have to trust me that I’m enjoying it as much as you’re going to.”

Keith swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

Lance leaned back onto the blankets and made himself comfortable while lying on the floor then gestured Keith closer. Keith moved up next to him with a curious gaze. Well, curious and distracted as Lance could see Keith glancing at his own hard dick with what Lance hoped was longing.

“Come on, closer.”

Keith moved right up next to Lance, arms still held above his head.

“No, no,” Lance said and grabbed Keith’s ankle. “Stand over me. And you can lift the skirt up. I want to see.”

Keith looked embarrassed again. He hesitated a moment but moved to stand over Lance’s head and lifted his skirt.

“Oh, yeah, that’s the view,” Lance said.

“You’re weird,” Keith commented.

“Say that again after you stop burying your face into my pubic hair to smell me, Kitten,” Lance shot back.

Keith looked away and shrugged. “You smell good.”

“Well, can Mr. Sniffers turn around for me?”

Keith held the skirt daintily as he turned so his back was to Lance’s head and torso to his feet. “Can I drop the skirt?”

“Tuck the back into the band and put your hands back up,” Lance instructed.

Keith let out a huff but didn’t protest farther. “Now what?”

“Now you sit on my face.”

“What!” Keith truly sounded scandalized.

“Come on, I want to eat you out.”

“Can’t you do that while I’m laying down?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “I want you to sit on my face while I eat you out. And then you can stare at my cock and drool over it while I tongue your prostate.”

Keith glanced over his shoulder. “Is your tongue even that long?”

Lance winked up at Keith. “You’ll have to sit down to find out.”

Keith looked unsure.

Lance reached up and slapped Keith’s ass lightly. “Come on, cowboy, ride my face.”

“If that’s what you want,” Keith said and finally, finally lowered.

Lance reached up to stop Keith from totally sitting on him. Also so he had a moment to calm down because maybe Lance was a huge ass man. Okay, he was definitely an ass man and a thigh man and enjoyed performing oral a lot. He liked his partner to be all hot and bothered and on edge before he stuck his dick in them. It might have come about because he was larger than average which usually meant lots of prep, but he’d learned to love it. He grabbed Keith’s ass with his hands, massaged it, then brought Keith down so he could bite at his skin.

“L-L-Lance~” Keith moaned.

“You like that, Kitten?” Lance asked and found a cute spot to leave another purple mark. “Aren’t I such a good ass kisser?”

“Laaaaance,” Keith groaned and that sounded more annoyed than pleasured so maybe not one of his best jokes.

“Okay, okay, I got you.”

Lance spread Keith’s cheeks apart and stared at his hole. It was an asshole. Not the first one he'd licked, maybe the last one. He could see Keith’s balls from here, too. He thought to ask Keith to teabag him, but maybe not, he seemed embarrassed about this already and Lance had given him a bit of a blowjob. He wasn’t sure how good Keith was at cumming over and over again when this was only his second experience with another person. Instead, Lance did what he’d wanted to do for a while and leaned up to lick at Keith’s hole. He got the cutest little gasp from Keith. More of them came the more he worked and Lance wasn’t sure how Keith had fit so many fingers in himself on New Year’s Eve because his hole was tight. He had to let go of one of Keith’s cheeks to press fingers into the hole and loosen it up and that made Keith really whimper. He was sort of sad he’d been deprived of this their first night, but then again he’d gotten to have his dick in Keith’s mouth and then almost immediately in his ass so you gain some you lose some. Lance went two fingers wide before he decided his tongue would fit and then pulled Keith completely down against his face and licked.

“Oh my God!” Keith gasped and his hole trembled around Lance’s tongue. “Fuck.”

Lance went a bit longer before nudging Keith with his nose. He wasn’t sure if Keith got the message or if it was the pleasure that urged him to start moving against Lance’s face. Didn’t matter, either way, Lance was getting half suffocated by his boyfriend’s ass and he loved it.

“Lance, Lance, I want your dick, please,” Keith whined as he started moving desperately and it hurt a little.

Begging Keith was so hot, though. His voice was low and husky. And he was hard himself.

Lance begrudgingly pulled away from Keithy’s ass with a nip and looked around. He saw Keith’s bag close by.

“Keith, you happen to have lube in your bag?” Lance had some, but he really didn’t want to get up and get it.

“Yes,” Keith said.

“You’re fucking awesome!” Lance arched trying to reach Keith’s bag which made Keith loose balance and fall along Lance’s body. Lanc jolted when he felt Keith reach out and wrap a hand around his dick. “Keith!”

Keith whined. There was no other way to explain that, he whined. Lance was really going to have to look at Keith’s toys to figure out why he was such a slut for his dick. Not that he was complaining.

“Fine, suck as you please, but once you’re stretched we’re putting those hands back up,” Lance said as he made a reach for Keith’s bag again trying to ignore the pleasure he felt when Keith deepthroated him gagging himself. “Careful!”

Finally, Lance grabbed Keith’s bag and dumped its contents out. There was lube, but no condoms. He thought he had one in his pants that were discarded close by. He’d get it in a second. He popped the cap and drizzled a generous amount of lube over Keith’s hole then covered his fingers in it before putting in the two from before and started scissoring. Then he added the third. Keith started to bob his head still trying to gag on his cock.

“Fuck, Keith, don’t make me cum. Slow down,” Lance called.

Keith pulled off and glanced back at Lance. “I...I need...fuuuuck.” He hid his face against Lance’s thigh.

Okay, maybe all that foreplay had been a bit much with the face sitting and now proper prep. Keith had said something about being sensitive. Maybe he’d have to train Keith and fuck if that was a thought Lance hadn’t had before. It certainly did have his stomach curling in the best of ways. Was there such a thing as a soft Dom? Was this going to play into Keith’s interest in teacher-student roleplay? Fuck, Lance was trying to have sex right now!

“Okay, okay,” Lance said shoving Keith down his body so he was sitting in his lap and sat up. He wrapped a hand around Keith’s waist who had almost immediately moved his hands back to the back of his neck so his arms were up again. Lance was confused before he remembered he had told Keith to do that. It was a bit of a stretch to grab his pants without tipping Keith off his lap, but he managed to get it and dig the condom out.

Keith was very patient. Or maybe impatient. He sat up when Lance tore the condom packet open so he could get the rubber on his dick, but then sat down, gently, but deliberately, and started rubbing his ass against Lance’s erection.

“Alright, Keith, I’m going to show you one more thing that’s fun with skirts,” Lance said.

“I don’t care about the damn skirt, Lance, just fuck me,” Keith growled.

“Hey, don’t be naughty,” Lance said grinning. He reached down and stroked Keith’s erection over his skirt. “I guess you already are, though.”

Keith thrust up against Lance’s hand until Lance moved it to guide Keith backward. He held his dick in place with his other hand so it slid nicely into Keith as he sat in place.

“So full, finally,” Keith moaned. “I can’t move like this.”

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Lance said and he really hoped he did. He actually wasn’t sure if he was strong enough for this. Keith was shorter than him, but not light with all that muscle. He took Keith’s hands from his neck and wrapped them behind his own neck. Then, he grabbed Keith’s thighs and spread his legs so they encompassed Lance’s. Lance wished he had a mirror in front of him so he could see how prettily Keith was arched against him, but he’d have to make do with what he could see and what he could see was all his fantasies. He hadn’t lied when he said that earlier.

“Okay, I’m going to start moving, okay, Keith, tell me if anything hurts,” Lance said.

Keith’s answer was turning his head to kiss Lance’s chin.

Lance started out slow holding Keith’s hips trying to hold his weight. His girlfriends he’d done this with he could usually spread them out with their legs in the air. This was probably a better way to do it on the floor. Honestly, as long as Keith felt good, he didn’t care. Keith kissed his face more and eventually, Lance turned to taste his lips. Keith started thrusting back onto Lance. Lance rubbed a hand over the material of Keith’s skirt feeling the pearl of precum wetting it every time Keith’s dick touched it. He let it bounce beneath the fabric before lifting the skirt so Keith’s erection poked out and that was cute, Lance thought, but he was really just pleasure brained by that point and anything that got him hot and bothered was cute. The cramping he could feel in his leg wasn’t cute. He lifted a hand and got distracted playing with Keith’s nipples until he could feel the uncomfortableness in his leg again and wrapped Keith tight in his arms moving them to lay on the side on the pile of blankets.

Keith was quick to go with the change of position, moving his trapped leg out from under Lance and throwing his other fully over Lance’s leg. He turned slightly and moved one of his hands to cup Lance’s face to kiss him while the other tugged at Lance’s hair. Lance held Keith close and thrust harder and faster into him. He found the spot inside of Keith that had him sputtering into the kisses and abused that until Keith went taunt against him, cum shooting out of his cock and covering his black skirt and his legs. He went pliant with soft moans as Lance continued just trying to reach his own end. He felt the pleasure ripple through him when Keith whined for him to hurry.

“You’re...so impatient,” Lance said coming down from his high and pulled out.

“Sorry,” Keith said and turned, stroking Lance’s face then kissed him. “It felt good, though. Did you like it?”

“Keith,” Lance said trying to look serious, but he was too tired for that, “if we’re ever fighting, just push me down and sit on my face. I’m a total an ass man.”

Keith laughed. “Telling me your weakness, you’ll be a fucked man.”

“Well, I sure as hell hope so.”

With a hum, Keith leaned in and kissed Lance again.

“Seriously, though,” Lance said. “Are you feeling alright? I know you’re like all up for kinks and stuff, but you’re not that experienced and I don’t think you have a sex dungeon in Shiro’s house to practice with.”

Keith nodded. “I’m...sometimes I forget I’m not as tolerant when I’m not in heat. I can cum and cum and cum then, but the rest of the time I can get over sensitive.”

“We could work on that,” Lance grinned.

“Sounds like that could be fun. Just no handcuffs,” Keith said.

Lance raised a brow. “You don’t like being bound?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine if it’s you,” Keith said. “Just no handcuffs.”

“Because…” Lance didn’t want to make assumptions, but he did know Keith had some trouble with the law when he was younger.

Keith moved in closer and hid his face against Lance’s shoulder. “I may have tried to rig something up as a teenager, a very young teenager, like when Shiro’s grandmother was still alive, and gotten myself stuck in handcuffs above my head while...and I might have had a stimulation thing going on...and I might have got stuck with it until the batteries died… and Shiro might have found me passed out and covered in my own filth.”

Lance was honestly horrified. “Shit man, no handcuffs. Dutifully noted. I once rubbed myself to the point it hurt, but that’s not even funny.”

“He did have the gay talk with me after and we shared a very tender brotherly moment or whatever.”

Lance reached out and held Keith close to him. “That’s one way to come out of the closet I guess.”

“Never really was in it. By the way, happy Valentine’s Day, Lance.”

“Oh, yeah, back at you, Kitten,” Lance said and kissed the top of Keith’s head. “I’m going to have to get up and get some wet wipes in a sec to clean us--”

Lance was interrupted by a loud crash sounding close by. He turned to Keith who was already on his feet dragging clothes back on and rushing out. It took a second before Lance got up and pulled on his pants before seeing Keith already at the bottom of the ladder. He glanced at the pulley rope then back and Keith.

“Fuck, Keith, you really need to learn to talk before you run,” Lance grumbled and grabbed the rope trying to slide down it. It burned his hands a little, but he let go with enough room to jump even if he didn’t exactly jump gracefully, but he was able to keep up with Keith.

They ran deep into the mesquite forest that claimed most of Shiro’s land and only slowed down as they came to the site of a large darkened mass. The smell from the smoke wasn’t exactly good, but there was something familiar there. He remembered Marco once burning steak on their back porch in Michigan when he came to visit a couple summers ago. Getting closer, Lance gagged. There wasn’t just burnt blackness, Lance could see trails of red, though only a bit, in the ash. Keith grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and moved up to the mess to poke one of the red bits. He pulled it out revealing a charred entrail. Lance turned and spit bile that had rose up. He didn’t want to throw up all of Hunk's good food.

“Another cow,” Keith said.

“Another?” Lance asked and turned to Keith.

“There's always a few cows that go missing here and there, but it's been more frequent lately,” Keith answered.

“This isn’t gone missing, this is a massacre! Why hasn’t Shiro done something about this?”

Keith threw the stick down. “I haven't told him. I figured it was the hands, that's what we've been arguing about. Shiro’s not real big on the ranch in the first place, so it's mostly my responsibility. I thought the handlers were doing it because of me.”

“You thought?” Those handlers would have to be really fucked up to incinerate almost a whole cow and not catch a forest on fire.

“I…” Keith started, “I usually find them much later than this after the coyotes have gotten at them. But, this close, that noise, we should have gotten to it sooner.”

“Have you ever heard that noise before?” Lance asked.

Keith shook his head. "The cows are usually way farther out than this.

Lance wiped his mouth wincing at the sting in his hands. He started towards Keith but stopped when he saw something shiny in the trees not far ahead of them. He walked over to it but stopped. “Keith, come here.”

Keith walked over to him slowly, but then his steps grew faster and Lance had to reach out for him to keep him a safe distance from the hunk of metal lying on the ground in front of them pulsing like the purple from Keith’s sword and the door, a red dot of light slowly blinking and becoming fainter and fainter.

“Fucking aliens,” Keith growled beside Lance.

“Yeah,” Lance agreed. All he’d wanted to do was fuck an alien. “Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a fun sex scene to write. ;)


	13. “March is a Tomboy With Tousled Hair, a Mischievous Smile, …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter March 27th.

**13\. “March is a Tomboy With Tousled Hair, a Mischievous Smile, …”**

When deciding to become a teacher, it had never occurred to Lance that he would hate the act of grading papers. That wasn’t until he actually had to grade papers. Multiple choice was easy enough to grade, but critical thinking questions were always Lance’s weak point. Sometimes the ones in the textbooks really made no sense or it felt like it was asking for the same thing just slightly different as you’d answered twenty times already. Then there were the projects. Lance had enjoyed grading those at first, but now they were in the second semester and he could see how this wasn’t as exciting as he hoped. And he’d have to do this next year, and the next year, and the next year. At least he worked at a small school.

To get him through the grading process, Lance had developed three systems of grading. One was curled up with Keith in the water tower, two was at Keith’s desk in Pidge’s company’s office preferably with Keith, and third was on his couch with his television playing a random documentary and a cup of coffee or tea on the coffee table usually without Keith.

Currently, Lance was on the third process. He had a blanket wrapped warmly around him as early march had brought an unwelcome chill to the air. Pidge had warned him about the random winter weeks in the usually too hot Texas seasons. He had his iPod out with his keys and lesson plans and a stack of manilla papers with drawings and a stapled packet attached to each. Honestly, the drawings weren’t necessary, but he was having to hone in on standardized testing material and the drawings were fun and added extra credit to the otherwise boring packet.

The packets were easier to grade, Lance had to admit even if he thought the questions stupid and redundant.

Lance perked up when he heard ringing from the kitchen where he’d left his phone. He was reluctant to come out of his blanket, but he also wanted to take a break from grading anyways, so Lance got up from the couch and answered his phone like the adult he was without even looking at the caller id.

“Hello?” he greeted.

“ _Lancito~_ ,” said the voice on the other line.

Lance sighed and leaned against his kitchen bar. “Ah, Mama McClain. It’s been a while since I heard your lovely voice.”

“I haven’t forgotten about you. You heard about the little issue we had with Razavi’s birth mother, right?”

“Yeah, but you got that cleared up last month, right?” Lance asked.

Mama McClain hummed. “Well, mostly. We’ve got some documents we have to fill out, ah, but, about spring break.”

“Oh, yeah, I should probably buy my plane ticket,” Lance said. He’d almost forgotten he’d be out of a job for a week, might as well take advantage of it and use up electricity somewhere else.

“No, _mijo_ , don’t buy a plane ticket.”

“You want me to take a bus? That’s a two day trip,” Lance complained.

“No, I want you to stay home.”

“Oh, why?” Lance asked.

“Well, we do have everything settled, but there’s a bit of business that week and none of your cousins are coming so there’s really no point in coming, too. You can visit us for as long as you want during the summer.”

“Right, I understand,” Lance said. He understood that by business, she meant there might be immigration people during their meetings, perhaps even coming to the house.

Razavi had been given up for adoption by a student studying here who overstayed their welcome and then came back and Ina had been adopted from overseas when she was a baby. Though the youngest, they were also the first to be in their house. Rizavi had been a foster child for many years and it wasn’t until Luis’ niece had been born that they got to adopt Ina and Ryan at the same time (who had also become a foster child). Razavi's birth family had always given them a hard time. Lance didn’t want to cause any trouble for his younger siblings. They deserved all the love Mama McClain could give them. At least Lance had been able to keep in contact with his real siblings and parents.

“Lance?”

“No, I get it, it’s fine. I want my siblings to be happy, so get what you need to get done. Maybe I’ll take a trip to the beach or something. It’s only a few hours away I think.”

“You should take your beautiful boy with you,” Mama McClain said. “You two are still together, right?”

“Oh, yeah, Keith, absolutely. Why would I ever let that go,” Lance said feeling a little brighter at the thought of bringing Keith to the sea. “I mean, I...ah…”

“Ah, _mijo_ ,” Mama McClain teased, “don’t go too fast now. Let us meet him during the summer, yeah?”

“Of course,” Lance agreed then hung up.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Lance looked at his stack of papers and really couldn’t be bothered to continue. He’d go get a coffee from Hunk’s.

Being a Saturday, Lance found the cafe oddly empty as he entered. He saw Hunk coming out from the back wiping his hands on a towel as he approached the counter.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Hunk said immediately smiling.

“What, were you expecting someone else?” Lance asked.

Hunk shook his head and threw the towel on the counter. “No, it’s just we’re closed for the afternoon.”

“Oh, do I need to leave?”

“No, no, my best friend can come and go as he likes.”

“Cool,” Lance said and took a seat on one of the stools. He looked his friend over frowning. Hunk looked tired. He’d seen his friend tired before, but this was more than long hours spent working on a project for school. “You okay?”

Hunk looked at Lance surprised. “Oh, yeah, totally.”

“Why’d you close the cafe on a Saturday then?” Lance asked. “Where’s Shay?”

Hunk sighed and turned away. “Shay said she had something to do. She wouldn’t tell me what, said it was a surprise. It got really busy this morning and I just didn’t feel like having it open. It’ll save us on hours.”

“You couldn’t call in a part-timer?”

“I can’t do that to college students,” Hunk said. “I remember what it was like. And most of them want Spring Break off.”

“Oh, yeah, that kind of sucks, man.” Lance really didn’t know about business, but Hunk hadn’t gotten a degree in business management either. It must be tough. “You know, I could help you out during Spring Break.”

“Aren’t you going back to Michigan?”

Lance traced his finger against the shiny counter. “Nah. Mama McClain called. She said they were going to be busy with some adoption stuff that wasn’t quite finalized. It’s about Rizavi.”

“Your sister? Oh. Don’t you have plans with Keith?”

With the hunk of alien debris they’d found and his basement, Lance doubted Keith would want to go anywhere very far. “No, he’s busy.”

“Dude, I...actually, yeah that would be cool of you,” Hunk said. “I was really hoping to take Shay somewhere nice out of town.”

“Maybe the beach?” Lance offered.

“If it wasn’t spring break. I’m thinking like a picnic. I...she’s been sick.”

Now, that was worrisome. Lance had never heard of Shay getting sick. Even when Hunk had a cold, she didn’t catch it. “Is she okay.”

“I think…” Hunk’s brows furrowed and he leaned against the counter staring out of the cafe blankly. “I think she might be pregnant.”

“Yeah?”

Hunk nodded. “She did go to the doctor’s, but she said it wasn’t anything bad and then she went out today. Also, I found a pregnancy test box a couple weeks ago. She’s taken them before, maybe twice a year because the type of birth control she’s on. I don’t understand it completely, but I try not to get weird when I see one.”

“But you’re getting weird now.”

“Yeah. I mean, we’re basically engaged, we just don’t want a wedding until we’re closer to thirty. I don’t have a problem with having a child first. I want to be a father. She wants to be a mother. I’m just trying to decide if how we’re living right now is really working.”

“You love cooking,” Lance pointed out.

“I do, but I’m an engineer. I graduated from the Garrison! I should be doing something with that. I feel bad not using what I spent all that scholarship money on.”

Lance frowned. To say he wasn’t still a little jealous of Hunk getting into the Garrison was a lie, but he didn’t want his friend to feel bad about going a different direction than he thought he would when he graduated. “You need to do whatever you need to do, Hunk. We were both lucky to come from families who had done most of the hard work for us. We both grew up in a house that was clean with parents who rarely fought over bills in front of us. Your family loves you and they love Shay, they'll help if you need it. I think Shay’s family would do the same.”

Hunk turned to Lance and smiled. “Thanks, Lance. You’re right. I’ll put some deep thought into it. I think Lotor might be interested in a deal. He mentions it when he comes by for coffee.”

“Oh, he stops by?”

Hunk shook his head. “Yes, Lance. I did think he was the type of guy you wouldn’t like.”

Lance shrugged. “Anyway, you have a cup of coffee I can get?”

Hunk laughed. “Yeah, how do you think I’ve gotten through the day? It’s not the special blend.”

“Anything will do at this point,” Lance assured.

With coffee in hand, Lance left. He paused on the sidewalk and glanced across the street at Pidge’s insurance door. He knew Keith was watching the shack. Maybe Pidge was in. He started across the road.

The door to the building opened easily, but it was quiet inside. Only a single lamp and the natural light coming through the opened blinds of the windows lit the space. He saw Pidge slumped over her desk, hands resting on her laptop, the only weight keeping it from falling over the edge of the desk where her sleeping form had pushed it. Lance walked up to the desk and pulled the laptop away. Immediately, Pidge sat up and climbed onto the desk striking out in random directions.

“Aye, hold up there Pidgey. How do you expect to fight anyone with your eyes closed?”

Pidge paused and slowly opened her eyes to glare at Lance. “Oh, it’s only you. Give me back my laptop.”

Lance placed the machine back on Pidge’s desk and took up the seat behind Keith’s. “You know, I saved that from an untimely demise falling to the floor.”

“Oh, thanks,” Pidge said and moved the laptop close to her staring intently at the screen.

“You look tired.”

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Lance. It’s midterms coming up and I’ve got not only a mystery door but a mysterious alien fragment to analyze.”

Lance sighed. “I understand, but isn’t your education more important?”

Pidge froze in her typing. “Get out.”

Pidge’s words were sharp. Lance had never heard her use such a tone before and it hurt. “What?”

Pidge slammed her laptop closed and got up to leer over Lance with crossed arms. “You really think I care about school? I have to make things harder on myself just to make it look like I’m actually trying there. I don’t need that degree or those certificates to make money, Lance. My parents have money. My parents have influence. I might female and not straight, but I’m white, Lance. I have privileges. I’m willing to use those privileges in exchange for helping my brother who I’ve had to watch blank out in the middle of playing video games with me, who skipped college classes because he was ‘having one of those days’ and ended up having to get a different major just to get a degree because the classes triggered him. I woke up every day for years to Matt screaming in the middle of the night because no one believed him. No one! Fucking aliens are real, Lance, and I don’t want what happened to Matt, Shiro, and Keith’s dad to happen to anyone else again. I’ve got to figure out what this door is about and what that scrap piece was.”

“I...I’m sorry.”

Pidge turned away from him, fists still clenched at her sides. “If there are aliens, the same aliens, hanging around, I don’t think incinerating cows is a sign they’re just here to fuck humans in a good way. I don’t even think that’s what Keith’s mother initially came for, either.”

That made a lot of sense. “No one knows why she came here, do they?”

Pidge shrugged. “Keith’s dad never told him. Perhaps Shiro’s grandmother knew, but she died and didn’t tell Shiro. We don’t know anything.”

“Have you figured anything out?” Lance asked.

Pidge scrunched up her face then sighed and moved back to her chair. She opened her laptop and started typing before turning the laptop for Lance to see. Lance scooted across the floor to get a better look. She’d pulled up the scrap piece they had cleaned off and a picture of the door below Keith’s shack.

“I hope these are guarded files,” Lance said.

“Very much so.”

Beneath the photos was a bunch of science stuff and maybe alien language, maybe more science stuff, Lance didn’t know. “What is it?”

“Not much. Basically, the design of both objects is similar, perhaps the same species or even the same galactic federation for all we know. They have a commonality that goes beyond both being alien, that I know for sure. I’ve run samples of both pieces of the objects through some tests and there are familiar elements like carbon within them, but also an energy source I don’t quite understand. The one from the scrap has emptied.”

“Yeah, it stopped glowing a couple hours after we found it.”

“That’s really all I’ve been able to get from them,” Pidge admitted. “I’ve still got other tests running.”

Lance sighed. “Pidge, I do know this is important, okay, but I’m worried about you, too, not just Keith. We don’t know what’s happening and we’re the only ones who know about any of this stuff. Please don’t risk your career for something that could take years to come to the surface or may forever just be random incidents.”

Pidge looked away and lowered her hands to her lap. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, Lance.”

“And I didn’t mean to make it seem like your family hardships aren’t important. You forget I’m a teacher, though.”

“Right. Education is important to you.” Pidge looked around her office. “I guess I should cut down on hours here. Keith won’t like that, but you two can spend time together in the shack while I’m working on school and this stuff.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

Pidge groaned and scratched her fingers through her hair roughly. “I just don’t want to bring Matt into this. He’ll know something’s up if I’m not here. But, I’d rather bring him in instead of Shiro. I know how to deal with a triggered Matt, Shiro doesn’t remember anything.”

Lance leaned against Pidge’s desk and glanced out the window. The sun was starting to set. “Well, that’s something I leave to you and Keith.”

“Uh, Lance, on a different topic, can I ask you about your past girlfriends?”

Immediately, a grin grew on Lance’s face and he leaned closer to Pidge. “Why? You in need of dating tips, or do you want to know how to eat a girl out?”

“What, no I….” Pidge started, face turning red. “Okay, yeah I guess. Don’t make it gross. I like Romelle and I know she has experience, but I don't and I don't know how long it's gonna take for me to go from having a fascination with her boobs to something more. It's confusing.”

"Well, you always did say you thought you were more on the ace spectrum. Don't force yourself."

Pidge sighed dramatically. "Sex is gross, I always thought that, but maybe not with certain people."

Lance laughed. “Oh, Pidge, my sweet innocent Pidgey, sex is always gross. But, with the right person, you can learn to like it.”

✰

Working at _Hunay’s_ was different than Lance had imagined. He’d managed somehow to never work in the food industry going more for smaller retail shops and an office job his last semester. He’d always assumed he’d be good at it, but customers coming in for coffee detested a bright smile and cheerful greeting. That, Lance supposed, he could understand. At least he only had to talk to each customer for as long as it took them to order and get their drink.

Wednesday of Spring Break, Lance was left alone with one Garrison student at the cafe. Hunk had taken Shay out for their picnic. After the morning rush, traffic was slower and Lance let the student do the clean up while he watched pre-prepared baked goods rise in the oven. They were almost done, but Hunk’s instructions on how to cook them were very specific. There was a jingle from the front door and Lance heard the student greeting their customer. The oven dinged and Lance rushed forward pulling out the pastries, the tray hot even with a mitten on.

“Hey, Mr. McClain, someone is here to see you,” the student said poking his head into the kitchen.

“Oh, who?” Lance asked.

“Uh,” the student glanced behind him, “your boyfriend?”

Lance grinned. “Black hair, probably a plaid shirt, looks like an emo cowboy?”

The student nodded. “Yeah, I’d say.”

Lance pulled off his apron and moved past the student. “Put those pastries up and bring out the cookies to let them thaw a bit. I’ll be back in fifteen.”

“You already took your break,” the student complained.

Lance waved at him. “You can take another one later in exchange.”

Keith stood by the entrance looking across the street where _Gunderson’s Insurance_ sat with a big closed sign. Lance slid up next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. The other man easily leaned back against him.

“Do you miss it?” Lance asked.

Keith shrugged. “It’s more of a hobby, but I liked working with Pidge. I’m not sure if she’ll open it back up. We’ll have to give back money if we don’t, but Pidge will deal with that.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s got that all figured out. Want to step outside? I think my co-worker is surprised I’ve got a boyfriend.”

Keith glanced back with a frown. “Embarrassed of me or something?”

“Not at all. I just don’t want an audience of one.”

Lance led Keith out to the back. It was muggy out, little sun though warmer than any March Lance could remember.

“Is this supposed to be romantic or something?” Keith asked looking at the dumpster just around the corner and the many crates stacked outback.

“No, it’s pretty disgusting, but when you come to visit your boyfriend at work, it’s the alley or the bathroom for making out.”

Keith scoffed. “You think I came to make out with you?”

Lance grinned and took Keith’s hand in his then slowly backed him against the back of _Hunay’s_. “No, but you might as well reap the rewards.”

Keith didn’t look impressed but tipped his head up in invitation. Lance leaned down and pressed his lips to Keith’s. It had only been a couple days since they’d seen each other. Lance had started work at _Hunay’s_ Friday night after work at the school. He had worked every day since. The rest of the time he’d spent grading and preparing for classes whether at home or in the shack. He hadn’t wanted to bail out on Hunk at the end of the week because he was an irresponsible teacher, but that left no room for his boyfriend or friends until now. He still had a few lessons to work through, but all the grading was done. A kiss had never felt like such a reward.

Keith wasn’t pliant in the kiss, he pressed back, took control, was the first to put his hand underneath Lance’s shirt. There was a neediness that Lance completely understood. They weren’t having sex regularly. Lance wasn’t complaining, they were only now getting close to the sixth-month mark and he was already in love. For sexual needs, he had a hand and all of Keith’s glory to imagine. It was mostly Keith’s company that he missed. And kisses, he lived for languid kisses.

With Plaxum, they had been friends, but only after he’d romanced her and broken up. And everything had to be planned. Sex once a week usually Saturday night so Lance could make pancakes the next morning which Plaxum appreciated. Plaxum had been a pretty girl Lance found to be more of a friend he loved, but never been in love with.

Nyma had been all about sex and intrigue and Lance fell fast. It was more devastating but shorter-lived than with Plaxum. They had never been friends and still weren’t. And she hadn’t appreciated his pancakes.

With Keith, Lance felt their relationship was the type that grew with age. He almost wished he would have known Keith when they were younger, but then again he could do without the part where he probably would have hated him.

Lance pulled away and moved his kisses below Keith’s ear. “You know you’re my friend, right?”

Keith moaned out a laugh. “Oh, I think I’m a bit more than that.”

Lance nipped his earlobe. “You know what I mean, don’t you?”

“We became boyfriends and friends at the same time. That's what you mean. Is that weird?” Keith asked. “That’s what I wanted in a relationship.”

Lance pulled away and looked down at Keith smiling. “Me too.”

Keith smiled back and moved his hands to Lance’s face to pull him back in for more kisses. Lance easily got back into their rhythm and moved to slide his hand beneath Keith’s shirt only for Keith to hiss and pull away.

“What? Did I do something?” Lance asked.

Keith turned away, hand pressed against his side. “No, nothing, just sore there.”

“Here, let me see,” Lance said and grabbed for Keith’s shirt.

“No, it’s alright. Olive just hoofed me. She’s temperamental sometimes.”

Lance lifted Keith’s shirt up and frowned. “I believe you about Olive since Pidge is her owner, but I don’t think she can reach you here and I don’t think she wears a size 11 shoe. I’ve been in fights, I know what a kick to the guts looks like. Tell me what happened. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Keith pulled free and turned away from Lance. “I don’t know what happened. I was just doing errands this morning. It felt like someone was following me then I got jumped by some guys that use to work for Shiro. They only got one kick in. One of Lotor's policewomen friends showed up and took me in handcuffs while the guys fled.”

“You got arrested? You didn’t start the fight did you?”

“I didn’t even get a punch in. She didn’t actually arrest me. I just sat at her desk with handcuffs while she asked me background questions. I think her name was Zethrid.”

“Keith, that doesn’t sound right.”

“I wasn’t trying to get into a fight, Lance!” Keith yelled.

Lance took a step back and held out his hands. “I’m not saying that, Keith. I mean with this Zethrid woman. What exactly did she want to know?”

“My name, my parent’s name, where I was born, where I lived. She asked if anything weird was going on around the farm lately.”

“Why would she asked that?”

“I…” Keith paused brows furrowed. “Well, at the time I thought it might be because of the guys jumping me, but she didn’t ask me about them.”

“I think we need to be careful around those ladies and Lotor.”

Keith nodded. “I’ve been seeing Lotor around a lot lately. He’s been getting coffee from here. And whenever I run into Allura, he’s there, too. He looks at me like it disgusts him.”

“I don’t think Lotor likes you,” Lance agreed.

“I was nice to him when I first met him,” Keith said. “Nicer than when I met you and I liked you.”

“Okay, well ignoring the fact you’re like a bully on a playground pulling the pigtails of the girl you like.”

“Hey, you were like that, too.”

“Okay, but you’re the only one with hair long enough for pigtails.”

“Lance,” Keith warned.

“Right, back on topic. Just try and stay clear of that whole mess. I don’t really have anymore work for the rest of the week other than my shifts here, so how about you hang around with me.”

“Hang around? Is that it?”

Lance shrugged. “We can watch movies and play video games. Oh, how about a romantic horse ride. We can share a saddle.”

A flush brightened Keith’s cheeks, but he kept his cool playful composure. “You trying to seduce me already?”

The back door suddenly opened and the student poked his head out looking frantic. “Mr. McClain, a line!”

“Coming!” Lance called starting for the door. He paused and turned back to Keith and winked. “Kitten, do I really have to try?”

The satisfaction of seeing Keith go from cool to a pool was enough to fuel Lance for the rest of his shift. He blew Keith a kiss and went for the door yelling back. “Put some ice on that bruise!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated. ^.^


	14. “...Mud on Her Shoes, A Laugh In Her Voice” - Hal Borland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: April 17th

**14\. “...Mud on Her Shoes, A Laugh In Her Voice” - Hal Borland**

Saturday’s shift at Hunay’s had left Lance gross and ready for bed, but he’d downed four cups of coffee during his shift and knew sleep wouldn’t be an option. He had just stepped out of the shower when he got a call. Toweling his hair dry, he went to the kitchen counter where his phone was charging. Seeing Keith’s name, he picked up.

“Hey, Kitten, what’s up?”

The answering moan startled Lance. “Keith, you okay?”

“Lance,” Keith whined his name, voice breathless as he continued, “why did you answer the phone like that?”

“Um, because I just got out of the shower and I missed you.”

Keith moaned again. “Shower, huh. So you’re naked and wet? Mnnh.”

Okay, that was definitely a sexy noise. “Are you...Keith, are you trying to instigate phone sex?”

“N-no. I’m trying to instigate real sex.”

Lance grinned and leaned against the counter. “Oh, come on over then.”

“Can’t, need you here,” Keith whined and this time it sounded desperate.

Lance was considering Keith might have already started without him by the sound of his voice, but there was one problem. “What about Shiro?”

“Already told him you might come over,” Keith said.

“And he’s okay with that?”

Keith laughed. “No, but you already know I’m purple. Come on, Lance, come take care of me.”

Come take care of me. Keith’s voice was low but so so soft. Lance felt this animalistic need inside him to go to Keith and not just to fuck his brains out, but to make sure he was safe and healthy.

“Purple? Oh, um, I’d be happy to come over if you really want me to,” Lance agreed.

“I want you so much...ah, but we’ll...Lance, we’ll talk before we do anything, okay.”

“Yep, absolutely, I’ll be there in ten. Oh, how long do you think...nevermind, I’ll be there soon.”

Keith hung up and Lance stared down at his phone for a minute. It was almost ten at night. Of what Lance remembered from the first time he’d seen Keith turn purple, Keith had mentioned that he went through a sort of detox period where he was just horny for hours and hours. He had opted in for a short opening shift tomorrow at the cafe so he had time to be ready for school on Monday, but he didn't think he'd make that.

Lance dialed Hunk.

“Hey man, what’s up. It’s kind of late,” Hunk said answering the phone.

“Hunk, um, can I get out of working tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, sure. I can cover you, but I’m not paying you for it. What’s wrong?”

Lance didn’t think Hunk knew about Keith’s alien heritage. Hunk would never tell someone else about it, but it wasn’t Lance’s secret to tell and Hunk wouldn't like keeping it from Shay. “Keith called and he needs me to take care of him.”

“Keith? Oh, I guess his medicine’s acting up again. Those chemical imbalance shots? Something like that. I know they can put him out of commission for a whole day when he runs out.”

“Yeah, that thing,” Lance agreed. That sounded like most of the truth.

“It’s not a problem, Lance. If you hadn’t agreed to help, I would have been in trouble all week doing doubles. Go take care of your boy.”

“I will, you take care of your girl...girls?”

Hunk sighed. “I’d love a daughter.”

Shay had confirmed her pregnancy to Hunk on their picnic. He’d only told Lance so far since it was pretty early in the pregnancy and Shay had been on birth control which left uncertainties.

“She’d be the prettiest thing,” Lance agreed then hung up.

A quick change of clothes and Lance was in his car. He thought to just walk to Keith’s, but it was still chilly and his hair was damp. He drove up next to Shiro’s sleek black Camaro and walked up to the porch. The door was already cracked open and Lance walked in.

“Keith?” Lance called. He heard the television on in the living room and voices down the hall. As he started for Keith’s room, Shiro appeared and glared.

“No,” Shiro said.

Lance stopped and held out his hands. “Dude, he said he talked to you.”

Keith’s bedroom door creaked open and he poked his head out. “Shiro, I swear, if you don’t let Lance into my bedroom I’ll jump him right in front of you.”

Shiro glanced back at Keith then glared at Lance once more before sighing. “Fine. He knows about you, I guess I can't treat you like my virgin younger brother forever. You're not even a virgin.”

As Shiro passed Lance, he patted him on the back. “There are bandages in his bathroom. He’s got food and water in there already. A new dose is in the dresser, he’ll deal with that, just don’t let him out until he isn’t purple anymore.”

“Yeah, of course,” Lance agreed though he wasn’t sure why he needed to know about the bandages.

“I’ll be out in the horse stable,” Shiro said and went out the front door clicking it locked behind him.

“Well, you coming in?” Keith asked and opened the door.

“Yep, absolutely.”

Inside Keith’s room, Lance took in the usual decor. Two light gray walls were covered in knives and sword displays. One corner had a table with sentimental memorabilia from the shack. Another corner had all of Keith’s cowboy hats and beanies with some horse gear hanging around. Keith’s desk showed all his nerdier stuff if you weren’t counting the replica swords on the walls. And then there was Keith’s bed. He had a dozen pillows and blankets in reds and blacks and grays interwoven and piled up like some kind of nest. It actually looked really cozy, but Lance hadn’t been allowed on Keith’s bed, he'd barely been allowed in Keith's room usually hanging out in the living room with Kosmo who Lance had spotted in the field when he walked up to the house.

Keith locked the door behind Lance and moved into his circle of blankets and it was then that Lance noticed his boyfriend was completely naked and already covered in purple patches. As he crawled onto the bed, Lance thought he looked like a cat even more now, his tail long and velvety with a lion’s tuff that matched Keith’s black hair. Beneath Keith’s tail, Lance could already see signs of lube spread across his thighs.

“I knew you had started without me.”

Keith flushed as he turned to look at Lance. “I...have to be prepped before I really lose my mind. I didn’t want you to have to deal with that.”

Lance shrugged. “I like prep work. I call it foreplay, though, more romantic that way.”

“This,” Keith started. He sat up straighter, but wouldn’t look at Lance directly. “This isn’t going to be romantic.”

“No? Unless it’s a quicky, it’s romantic.”

Keith sighed. “Maybe, I don’t know. I’ve never gone through this with anyone else. My medicine usually lasts between four and six weeks and this time it lasted a little longer so I decided to detox. Seemed like a good time since it's spring and I have a boyfriend.”

“And what exactly is this?” Lance asked. “You’ve called it a heat before.”

Keith shrugged. “It sounds about right. Occasionally, I would spend a few days with Shiro and his grandmother when I was a baby. Shiro didn’t really understand then, but he says he thinks my mother had mating seasons. I was an accident during one of those times. I’m not sure about the genders of my mother’s kind, but I have no reason to think I can get pregnant. Pidge's parents have looked me over. Still, I’m going to want you to try.”

Lance raised a brow. “What?”

Keith pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them. “I need you to mate me. Like an animal. Breed me. However, you want to go about it. That’s the headspace I need you to be in. And that means no condoms.”

Lance frowned. “Keith, condoms aren’t just to keep from getting pregnant.”

“I know that,” Keith snapped. “I also know you take great care in making sure you’re safe, but I’m the only one you’ve had sex with since you moved here. You’re safe and you took my virginity so we’re good unless you’re absolutely against it.”

“I’m not against it, I’m just…” what if they broke up next month.

Keith glared at him. “I’m about to invite you into my bed when I’m at my most vulnerable. That’s very important. Shiro hasn’t slept with me since I was ten. Pidge is the only person that’s been in my bed, but she’s a girl and isn’t allowed in it since she started dating Romelle. I’m not thinking about throwing you aside any time soon. I’m trusting you feel the same.”

If by the same Keith meant Lance was absolutely in love with him than yes, they felt the same. It was a little weird, though. Aliens. Lance was just trying to think of this as a play. A sex play. He liked those. Except this was real life.

“Alright, I understand. I didn’t bring any with me anyways. Kind of just rushed on over.”

Keith nodded. “Alright, good. Um, don’t worry about cleaning up too much. I’ve got wet wipes for us and I’ll clean anything we use. About that, you can use anything in that container over there.”

Keith pointed to a black container at the edge of his bed. Lance walked over to it and opened the lid only to close it again. He was pretty sure he’d seen a dildo much larger than his own dick. And it didn’t look human.

“Do I have to?”

Keith looked away again. “No, but you’re not going to be able to keep up with me.”

“So this is basically kinky marathon sex?” Lance asked.

“Yes, and I trust you to know if I’m being too much.”

Lance nodded. He was probably going to be tired and have regrets, but currently, with his beautiful alien boyfriend naked and inviting, Lance found the pros outweighed the cons a million to one.

“I consent.”

Keith smiled and pulled something out from beneath a pillow then threw it at Lance. Lance caught it and held it out. It was a bunch of leather studded straps.

“What’s this?”

“Chest harness, you’re going to put it on,” Keith said then pulled out a length of chain and clasped one end to a hook Lance hadn’t noticed above Keith’s bed. On the other end was a bright red studded collar. “Then you’re going to put this on me.”

Lance took in a deep deep breath. He wanted to call Keith fucking crazy. Instead, he moaned out, “Fuck yeah.”

Keith helped Lance put the harness on. It felt kind of sexy, but he understood the appeal when such things were on other people. When it came to himself, Lance was surprised he quite enjoyed the fake leather against his tan skin. Mostly, he enjoyed the look Keith gave him while running his fingers along the straps.

“You can take it off later, I just wanted to see you in leather,” Keith admitted.

Lance reached out and ran his hand through Keith’s hair. “Yeah, I figured. It’s not a hassle. That chain might be though.”

Keith picked up the collar at the end of the chain and handed it to Lance. “This is a hassle, but it’s also important. You really don’t want to see me scratching at the door because I need to get my neighbors dick inside of me.”

“Is it really that bad?” To be so needy you’d hurt yourself worried Lance.

Keith pecked Lance's forehead. “Don’t worry too much about it. It’s part of whatever alien species I am and there’s no real way for us to understand it. Besides, I only started being that desperate since I got to know you. Feel bad for Shiro. He’s the one that’s had to deal with me over the years.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll help however I can,” Lance agreed and unclasped the red collar placing it around Keith’s throat. He made sure it wasn’t too tight then stepped back to admire it. “Looks good on you.”

Keith’s dark eyes glazed over and he smiled. “It’s the only thing I’m wearing. Why don’t you join me, Lance? We can get started.”

Lance took in Keith’s form. Keith had leaned back against his headboard. He was completely naked except the collar with large splotches of velvety purple covering his body. The long thin tail he’d grown slowly shifted behind him, the end twitching as Keith watched Lance with the dark eyes of a predator. Lance felt fear as he climbed onto Keith’s bed in only the leather harness. He was cautious, watching Keith’s reaction to his every movement. It felt important that he move slow and not startle the beautiful creature in front of him. Once he was seated in the circle of blankets and pillows, Lance waited, eyes still focused on Keith’s. His boyfriend narrowed his dark eyes then tilted his head to the side invitingly.

A breath of relief escaped Lance. He didn’t quite understand the urges this alien Keith brought to him. He wanted to please Keith, but for a moment he’d been frightened climbing into that bed. What if Keith didn’t find him worthy. They’d had sex before, so Lance wasn’t sure what that fear was, but as soon as Keith accepted him, Lance knew one thing.

He was going to take such good care of his boyfriend.

Lance crawled over Keith and placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s neck. Keith gasped and arched up against Lance, hands coming to grab at his headboard. The reaction made Lance chuckle. He knew Keith was pretty sensitive. He trailed kisses over Keith’s shoulder then dipped down to lick at his collarbone. Finally, he reached Keith’s chest. He moved one of his hands to knead one side while he sucked on the nipple of the other. Keith whined softly, shuffling beneath Lance. It made it a little hard to keep the pressure he wanted and he couldn’t have Keith moving a lot when he got to his dick, so Lance moved his lips from Keith’s nipple and off to the side just a bit to bite down.

Keith screamed. “Oh, fuck yes, Lance!”

Lance pulled away. “Kinky.”

Keith glared at Lance. “You’ve entered Kink City, here, cowboy. This is just the tip. I’m not going to be able to tell you exactly what I want soon, but if I’m not as purple as I am right now after I take my shot in the morning then you’re the one that’s going to be.”

Lance gulped. Right, so just go full feral on his boyfriend. Lance had never really done that. He’d rather take the beating over the risk of hurting Keith, but he could try. Keith was trusting him with that.

“Okay, biting gets you off, noted.”

Keith settled back smirking at him. “Don’t act like you don’t like it, too.”

Keith had him there. “Okay, Kitten, no teasing. I’m the one who is supposed to be in charge.”

“Pretty sure I’m in charge, but at least act like you are.”

Lance frowned and slapped his hand against Keith’s chest where he’d been rubbing. Keith crying out was actually pretty magical. “How’s that for acting?”

Keith purred, the noise rumbling from deep in his chest where Lance could feel it. “Hmm, do it again.”

Lance rubbed his thumb against Keith’s nipple and leaned in to whisper, “No, but if you’re good, I might spank you before I fuck your ass like a stallion fucks his mare.”

“Do it, you’re hung like one,” Keith whispered back.

“Don’t gross me out, Keith,” Lance said and went back to kissing every inch of Keith’s body.

Now that he knew he could be a bit rougher, Lance made a point to leave marks, even going as far as sucking in constellations to Keith’s pale skin that he hoped Keith would let him connect later with a pin. Keith started to squirm again when Lance moved past his weeping cock to mark up his thighs but held still again when Lance left bite marks on the insides of both of them.

Done making a mess of Keith’s front, Lance pulled away to look down at his boyfriend. Keith was breathing hard, his eyes hazy, not really looking at Lance when their gazes met. From what Keith said, Lance understood one thing about tonight above all else. He would absolutely have to make Keith cum more than he did. Which, luckily for his boyfriend, Lance loved foreplay and getting his partner off. They were such a good match. At least Lance hoped so. He was already in love with his purple splotched boyfriend.

Lance grabbed Keith’s legs and spread them which Keith easily helped with giving Lance the full view. He laid down between them and took hold of Keith’s dick first licking it to slick it up before taking it into his mouth. Lance didn’t focus on taste or smell, just zeroed in on getting Keith to release. He was already hard himself and he’d cum just from pleasuring his partner before. Which was fine, but he knew Keith was a slut for his dick.

Keith moved his hands from above his head to grip at the sheet below him as he tried not to move. Lance rewarded Keith by licking up the vein on the underside of his dick and moving a free hand to his hole fitting one finger in easily.

Keith came with that and blinked at Lance as he fumbled around. Like an angel, Keith shifted to the side of his bed and pulled out a box of tissues and a water bottle. Lance took them gratefully and spit into the tissues before downing half the bottle.

“No offense to you,” Lance said setting the tissues and water aside, “but I’d rather not swallow if I’m going to be doing that a few more times tonight.”

Embarrassment was a pretty color on Keith. His tail moved from beneath him to wave the fluffy tip in front of Keith’s face as if to hide. “You’re not wrong.”

“How are you feeling?” Lance asked.

Keith shook his head. His dick was only half-hard, but still, it showed interest. “I need to be fucked, bred. Understand? You’re allowed to degrade me a bit. I know what I’m like when I’m detoxing.”

“What, a cock hungry virgin?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded. His tail moved to reach for Lance stroking at his lap. Lance grabbed it and moved forward to let Keith stroke his dick with it.

“That feels way better than it should,” Lance admitted.

Keith chuckled. “I know, now continue before I try jumping you.”

Lance patted Keith’s thigh. “Alright, Kitten, on your hands and knees. If you want to feel like a breeding machine, that’s what we’ll do.”

Keith turned around easily. Lifted on his hands and knees, he glanced over his shoulder at Lance, his tail swishing from side to side.

“Hmm, that’s a nice picture,” Lance said as he slid off the bed and moved to the box of Keith’s toys.

Lance easily found some lube and took a second to dig through the rest. He chose two dildos. He actually didn’t have a lot of experience with toys, at least not since he first discovered his interest in penises and got curious. One night stands didn’t leave a lot of room for investigations and his long term relationships were vanilla or had him submissive. Lance didn’t try and be fancy. By the sound of it, they had all night.

With his new treasures in hand, Lance turned back to Keith. He dropped the toys onto the bed and frowned at his boyfriend who had wrapped his tail around his body and was stroking his hole with the fluffy tip. Lance reached out and grabbed it.

“Now, now, Kitten, what’s this? You’re going to get your pretty tail dirty. Unless you don’t care, in which case I can just leave if you want to do this yourself,” Lance teased.

Keith’s tail grabbed for Lance’s wrist and tugged him onto the bed. “N-no, don’t leave. I just...I really need to be touched.”

Lance crawled over to be beside Keith and stroked his back like he was petting a cat. “Like this?”

Keith moaned and let go of Lance’s wrist with his tail. “Feels good. More.”

“More? How about this?” Lance moved and started kissing Keith’s back still rubbing his hands along his body. “Want me to mark you up like I did your front?”

“Yes,” Keith answered with a small voice.

“Embarrassed? Or just really turned on?”

“Lance,” Keith groaned.

Lance chuckled and relented. He added more constellations to Keith’s body glad for his astronomy obsession. He made sure to leave a bite near the collar Keith wore which made Keith cry out something delicious and then one at the base of his spine near his tail. Happy with his quivering boyfriend, Lance moved behind him and grabbed the lube.

“You’re so cock happy when it comes to my dick,” Lance chatted as he poured a generous amount on Keith’s back end making sure it got between his butt cheeks. “It’s almost hard to think you’ve never had someone else’s, but I guess you don’t really need it with all of these toys you have, huh? What do you imagine with them?”

Lance picked up the smaller dildo. It wasn’t much to be impressed by, but it was purple. He checked Keith’s hole with his fingers. Two fit in easily so he started to work in the purple dildo. “Have you ever imagined what the dicks of your mother’s people looked like? Were they purple? They definitely weren’t anything like this, you’re nothing disappointing yourself. Besides, you’re absolutely a size queen. This is just a starter, right. Your aliens must have to use them to work their partners up before fucking them with something bigger.”

“Lance, shut up,” Keith said, syllables shaky as they came out.

“Oh? Is that a command, Kitten? I thought I was supposed to pretend I was in charge and you’re just my sexy little breeding vessel made to take dick. That’s what you wanted, right?” Lance asked both to tease his boyfriend and make sure they were still on the same page.

“You’re going to embarrass the hell outta me,” Keith muttered.

“Yeah I will,” Lance agreed and started fucking his boyfriend with the purple dildo.

Keith’s hands fisted on the sheets. Lance glanced around to see his expression. It was good, but not enough. Lance was bigger than the toy, he knew it wouldn’t be.

“M-more,” Keith finally said. “Not full enough.”

“No? Then shall we try another friend?” Lance pulled out the purple dildo and picked up the second.

Honestly, Lance had no idea what to make of this one. It was fat but short, and very veiny with larger textured veins showing through. Well, Lance wasn’t the most imaginative when it came to dicks, but he’d imagined some interesting alien porn in his life. He could roll with this. He took the dildo, coated it with more lube, and began pushing it in, one hand braced on Keith’s lower back.

“Do you feel it, Keith? You’re my needy little bottom bitch, and I’ve come to…” Lance paused. Alien fantasies usually involved being abducted, but Lance wasn’t sure if that was a place Keith wanted to go, “...uh, fill you up with my seed. Imagine me as a real alien.” Lance pressed his hips against Keith’s once the toy was all the way in and humped against him. “Do you think I’d be this big?”

Keith shook his head. “Bigger. Not enough.”

Lance laughed and looked down. Keith was stretched wide. “You should see it, it’s like taking two dicks, but you’re talking about the reach. I’m definitely longer, right? Hung like a horse, you said.”

Keith became more vocal as Lance started fucking him harder with the second dildo, but mostly it was whines of ‘not enough’. Finally, Lance pulled it out, lifted a hand, and slapped it against Keith’s bottom. Keith screamed and fell to his elbows on the bed.

“Want it again?” Lance asked.

With all that inky hair, it was hard to tell, but Keith nodded. Lance lifted his hand and slapped it across the other cheek. The red marks on Keith’s pale kiss marked skin was so good. Lance wanted to devour his ass again, but his own rock hard cock was telling him he didn’t have time for that right now. He did take a second to lean down and take a good bite of Keith’s ass before feeling up his hole with his fingers again to make sure everything was still good.

“Hey, Kitten, why don’t you beg for my cock? I bet you’ll look so pretty with my seed smeared across your ass and dripping out.”

“Want it...to stay...inside,” Keith panted. “Please, Lance...please.”

Lance reached out and scratched at Keith’s tail. It lifted high and he arched. “Use your words, Kitten.”

“Stick your dick in my ass and fuck me, Lance,” Keith growled, nails digging into the bed.

Lance took the growl as a warning and grabbed Keith’s ass before guiding himself inside. The deeper he went the tighter Keith was, but he didn’t think he’d have to wait long for his boyfriend to get used to it since he’d been stretched before.

“Ah, yes, move, fuck, move,” Keith begged.

Lance placed a hand on Keith’s back and the other on one thigh to hold his boyfriend in place before pulling out and thrusting back in hard. Keith’s whole body shook, but the way he threw back his head, told Lance this was what he wanted. Lance kept a fast pace as he wrecked his boyfriend. Keith was hotter than last time inside. And he was purring which was all sorts of a turn on. Like, who hadn’t had a fantasy about an anthropomorphic partner?

“Shit, you’re so good. You love this, don’t you? Just gonna fuck my kitten all night long,” Lance babbled as he let himself go and just fuck Keith. “Gonna cum, soon. How about you?”

Keith muttered out a gargled response and Lance felt something wet on the hand he had on Keith’s thigh. He could feel him tightening around his cock over and over. When Lance looked down he could see Keith was shaking. Looking behind him, Lance saw Keith’s toes were doing that thing. He was definitely hitting his boyfriend’s sweet spots hard, but Keith was still pushing his hips back against Lance’s. Lance wanted to be concerned, but he was close and Keith seemed to want to be overstimulated or something like that. His sex ladden mind couldn’t find the right words and eventually, he just let go and buried himself as deep into Keith as he could get and shot his load.

“Fuck yes,” Keith muttered as he laid out wrecked on his bed, but whined as Lance pulled out.

“I know keeping it in sounds like a good idea, but it’s not when it’s flaccid, trust me. We can try cock warming another day,” Lance said and started looking around for tissues.

“Don’t clean me right away,” Keith begged as he flopped onto the bed.

Lance watched as cum leaked out of Keith’s ass. Usually, that was kind of gross, but right now he just felt kind of prideful. Keith really knew how to pull out the kinks, huh. “You’ll regret that later.”

Keith reached out for an armful of the nest he had made and pulled it to him to cuddle his face into and wiggled his ass. “Whatever, just come kiss me.”

Lance moved over Keith to do just that but was stopped by a phone ringing.

“It’s mine, pick it up for me. Probably Shiro,” Keith said and waved at the stand beside his bed.

Lance picked up the phone. “Hey Coach, what’s up?”

“Oh, thank god you’re not fucking right now,” Shiro said.

Lance laughed. “You can’t be sure about that.”

“I don’t want to know, Lance, I really don’t. Just tell Keith Blue just had her baby. We’ve got a little foal on our hands.”

“What! Oh my god, that’s so exciting. I want to see it!”

Shiro laughed on the other end. “You can see it in the morning. I’ve got to stay here and make sure everything goes good. Make sure you’re taking care of Keith. This is the only reason I even let him call you.”

“Will do,” Lance said.

Shiro hung up and Lance turned to Keith who had one eye peeked up at him from where he had his face buried in his sheets.

“What?” Lance asked.

“We can’t go see it,” Keith deadpanned.

“Oh, come on, it’s a baby horse! I’ll take like fifteen minutes,” Lance begged.

Keith narrowed his eyes then reached out for Lance, pulling him onto the bed. Lance landed with his back to the mattress and his lap full of boyfriend. Keith grabbed Lance by his harness and kissed him hotely before smirking.

“You’ve got exactly five minutes to clean me up before I ride your dick off, Lance. Understand?”

“Y-yes, sir!” Lance agreed.

Baby horses could wait, he had the horny love of his life to take care of.

☆

Marathon sex with the horny love of his life aside, playing with a newborn filly was totally worth calling in on Hunk. The little girl was a darker gray than Blue with a black mane and tail, but her back legs were soaked in white and she had a distinct mark on her face. Between the two possible fathers, Lance thought it was Black, but naming off the past heritage, Keith convinced Lance the white markings could only come from Red who, though was as pure in color as Black, came from a line of horses that usually had these marks. Red had actually been the outcast and Keith had bought him for cheap as his very own horse.

Shiro had let Lance feed the animal while he made Keith go back in and put on ‘decent’ clothes. Texas Marches were warm and Keith had worn a tank top and shorts to come see the horse showing off all of Lance’s marks. Keith looked like the cat who got the cream striding back to the house.

“So, how do you feel?” Shiro asked getting hay to spread about the stables.

“About the horse? She’s super cute. I’ve never seen a baby horse in real life.”

“No, no, about last night.”

Lance frowned and rubbed at his sore neck where he had a bandage placed. “How Keith looks is how I feel.”

Shiro laughed. “I almost thought he hadn’t taken his shot yet. I always knew he’d be like this once he got a lover. Makes me glad I’m not actually his real brother.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked.

“You have siblings, right? Would you rather see your siblings walking around the house like that knowing all their kinks or Hunk?”

Hunk could be considered a brother to Lance, but Lance also had both blood-related siblings and adopted ones. He made a face. “Hunk and I were going to be roommates at one point. I see what you mean. I’d high five Hunk, I’d jump in a lake if it was one of my siblings.”

Shiro nodded. “It’s something in between those two for me.”

“So, this is weird?” Lance asked.

Shiro smiled, one of his brows raised slightly telling Lance all he needed to know.

Lance turned back to the horse. “She’s cute, what are you going to name her?”

“Well, we have a theme, but I don’t know yet. Usually, I let someone else do the naming. It’s kind of my fault the theme started. I named Black what I did and them Keith got Red and copied me.”

Lance laughed. “Sounds just like a little brother.”

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed leaning against Black’s stable and petting the horse. “Little brother or best friend, he’s dear to me. I actually had a really serious relationship in high school that went into college, but it was hard to be with him after the incident. I was stubborn and he didn’t know how to handle it. I was gone for a whole year after all. He’d dropped a boyfriend to come back to me when I came back. Keith helped me through that. Then I accidentally got married in vegas after I graduated college. We tried to make it work, but with my grandmother passing and Keith acting up, we decided to annul it. I never told Keith we had been married. He thought I was just dating. He found out eventually.”

Lance frowned. “Did he blame himself?”

“Of course he did. He blamed himself for Allura and I, too, but that was doomed from the start. I know he’s a grown-up and can make grown-up decisions and I try and treat him like a grown-up, but it’s hard to see him like that. I’m his best friend, I’m his brother, and sometimes I’m his father,” Shiro said and pushed away from Black’s stable going over to Red who came to receive his own pets.

“You really didn’t want me here last night, did you?” Lance asked.

“No,” Shiro answered truthfully. “If I wasn’t worried about Blue, I wouldn’t have let you in the house. I know you two have sex, but last night was something different, wasn’t it?”

Lance wanted to say last night was a blur, but it wasn’t. His jaw hurt, his hips hurt, and he had bruises on his arms from Keith holding him down so needy for Lance’s dick that Lance had given up and just let him as long as Lance could get hard. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be touching his own dick for a week.

“Yeah, but it’s not as if I didn’t enjoy it,” Lance said then immediately waved his hands at Shiro, “and I’m not talking about just the sex. I...I enjoy taking care of people.”

“Oh, I, well you are his boyfriend so I guess it’s different for you,” Shiro said.

Lance studied Shiro. For such a strong tall man, he looked so unsure of himself right then.

Friend, brother, and father, huh?

Lance moved from Blue’s stable and walked up to Shiro. “You know, it’s really not that different. I love him, too.”

Shiro looked up surprised. It made Lance feel self-conscious. He lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck which actually really hurt. Keith had some sharp nails.

“Hahaha, that’s actually the first time I’ve said it out loud. I wanted to tell him first, but since you’re like his father figure now, you should probably know.”

Shiro’s face flushed and he turned away, but there was a grin on his face. “Are you trying to get my blessing or something? This might be a ranch, but it’s run by gays. You don’t need anything like that from me.”

Lance shrugged. “I’m a romantic. How about you just keep that blessing in your back pocket for now?”

Shiro sighed like being in Lance’s presence annoyed him, but he was still blushing. “How about you name her, Lance?”

Lance blinked in surprise and turned to look at Blue and her baby. “You mean the horse?”

“Yeah, seems you’re pretty intent on sticking around. Might as well have a horse of your own to deal with if you’re going to be distracting Keith from his work.”

Lance brightened up. “Oh my gosh, yeah.” He stared at the horse intently for a good long minute.

“Hey guys, sorry I took so long. Why is it so quiet?” Keith asked coming back into the barn still looking laid back, but much more covered.

Shiro gestured over to Lance. “He’s gonna name our little girl there.”

Keith looked surprised and moved over to stand beside Lance. “Looks like you got your own horse now. Gonna be awhile before you can ride her.”

Lance nodded still deciding on a name then perked up. “Violet!”

“Violet? Why Violet?” Keith asked.

Lance reached out and grabbed Keith by the waist pulling him close and kissed his cheek. “Because red and blue make purple.”

Keith stared at Lance then perked up smiling. “Violet sounds better than purple. I like it.”

Lance winked at Keith. “I thought you might my little purple kitten.”

Keith shoved himself away from Lance and turned to Shiro. “Hey, I’m going back with Lance to his house. I’ll walk back over later to help out with the afternoon chores.”

“You sure you’re going to be up for that?” Shiro asked.

“I feel fucking amazing,” Keith said and turned to grab Lance’s hand heading back to the house.

“Hey, that was kind of quick, don’t you think? Did something happen?” Lance asked.

“Pidge called me,” Keith answered.

“Oh? Oh! Did she find something?”

Keith nodded. “She would explain it thoroughly, but she...she said, well I already figured that door in the shack has something to do with the disappearance of Shiro, Matt, and my dad, but it looks like that fragment might, too. Or, at least it’s definitely made by the same people. And, she found out how to open it.”

“Wow, really? Did she go inside it yet?”

Keith shook his head. “We need a key.”

“That sucks, is she going to try and force her way inside?”

“Matt,” Keith said.

“Matt is?”

“No, Pidge thinks we need to bring Matt in on this. We’re going to have to go talk to him.”

“And that’s bad,” Lance guessed.

Keith sighed and glanced behind him to the stable where Shiro still was. “It could be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos Appreciated!!!!


	15. April Hath Put A Spirit of Youth In Everything - William Shakespeare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: 8th May  
> Also a fairytale will be posted this month

**15\. April Hath Put A Spirit of Youth In Everything - William Shakespeare**

Matt Holt’s apartment was all the way on the other side of Altea near the weather station he worked at. Lance hadn’t been there before, only ever seeing Matt with the rest of his friends or at the Holt’s place, and found it strange that Matt couldn’t just meet up with them at Shiro’s place or even Lance’s. Pidge answered that Matt never went to Shiro’s ranch without Shiro there. It was the far end of the ranch, where it was more forest than pasture, they had been abducted from.

Lance was just eager to have this conversation and hopefully figure this whole thing out. And with their schedules and Matt’s job, it wasn’t until Good Friday that they could even meet up. Lance usually tried and failed to contact his family in Cuba on Good Friday. Lance’s feelings didn’t really matter, though. He was mostly an outsider. If it wasn’t for the fact he was dating Keith, he’d probably be as oblivious as Hunk. If he wasn't already in love with Keith, that might have been preferred.

Matt answered the door looking as if he’d had no intention of getting up that morning. Dark circles outlined his eyes. His overgrown hair was a wild mess, and he held a yellow blanket tightly around his frame.

“Hey, Pidge,” Matt greeted, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Keith, Lance.”

“Woah, did we wake you?” Lance asked.

Matt chuckled and stepped aside to let them in. “Nah, it’s just one of those days.”

Pidge hovered by the door with furrowed brows. “Are you doing okay? We can come back another time.”

Matt shook his head and pushed his sister inside with the others. “No, it seemed pretty urgent and my work schedule has already pushed the conversation back far enough. If we don't talk now, it could be another month or more and we know hurricane season will be here before we know it.”

Inside, Matt’s apartment was quite dark except for a window in his kitchenette that was opened. There was a lot of science and tech decorating the walls and shelves, but it looked a lot tidier than Pidge’s dorm or her room back at the Holt’s estate. Lance thought with the money their parents made, Matt could afford a bigger apartment, but maybe that had more to do with his mental parameters than his wallet’s.

“Why don’t you guys sit and I’ll make some hot chocolate. It wasn’t as cold this winter and I may have overstocked, but hot chocolate’s good no matter the weather, right,” Matt said heading for the kitchen. He stumbled over his blanket and barely caught himself on the bar.

“Here, I’ll make it,” Keith offered and pushed Matt over to the couch. “I’m not Shiro, I won’t burn the milk.”

Matt relented reluctantly and took the seat beside his sister. Lance took up and uncomfortable looking chair that reminded him of one he'd seen at Grandma McClain's house. It smelled more like sunshine and oceans than a musty old lady with five cats. Lance had never met his Cuban grandmother, but he imagined this was what her chairs would smell like even though it was probably just an air freshener.

“Sorry I haven’t been able to hang out with you guys recently. I can barely make it to my parents' house with my hours and the experiments I’m working on,” Matt said and pulled out a box full of candy from a drawer in his coffee table. He left it open and gestured for the others to take a piece.

“Matt, are you sure you’re okay? This is...this is something really serious, but I can’t do it without you.”

“Oh, is it about...that?” Matt asked and glanced at Lance.

Lance unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. “You talking about the fact Keith’s an alien? We’ve been together for half a year, think I wouldn’t he turns purple?”

“Lance,” Keith sighed from the kitchen, the sound of a burner being turned on following his disappointment.

“Six months? Yeah, I guess you would know by now if you’re serious,” Matt said and turned back to Pidge.

Pidge placed a hand on Matt’s knee. “Matt, I’m serious, if you’re not in the right headspace, we don’t have to talk.”

Matt lifted his own hand and placed it over Pidge’s. Then, he squeezed hers hard. “Does it matter if I’m not in the right headspace? If you’re coming to me with it and it’s about that then I can’t let a little PTSD get in my way. You haven’t talked to Shiro about it yet, right?”

“No, Shiro doesn’t know.”

“Good, good. I don’t know what would happen if he suddenly remembered after all these years. Look at me, after all. And he received much worse.

“What did happen?” Lance asked.

Matt’s head shot up, eyes large. Both Keith and Pidge yelled his name at the same time.

Lance held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, sorry. Too soon, none of my business, I got it.”

Matt stared at Lance hard for a moment then turned to Pidge. “You have something to show me, don’t you?”

Pidge nodded and pulled out some papers from her bag. Matt picked them up and read through them, hands shaking the more he read. It was some time before Matt finished. He stood from the couch and headed to the kitchen. He pushed past Keith who was removing a kettle from the stove and lit a section of the papers before throwing them in the sink. He leaned over the sink, watching them burn, arms shaking.

“Matt!” Pidge yelled.

Matt held up a hand to her and pulled a hairband from a pocket of his sweatpants. He tied his hair up slowly then turned to Keith and held out a hand. “Cocoa, please.”

Keith handed him a mug which Matt gulped down. Lance was pretty sure it was still scalding hot, but the burn must have helped snap Matt out of the battle he was having with his memories.

When Matt came back to the couch, he had a much harder look to him. He sat with elbows on his knees and head rested on clasped hands. Keith came over with more mugs of cocoa and placed a glass of ice water in front of Matt before taking up the empty space on the other side of the couch closest to Lance.

Matt picked up the water and took a sip, a little dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away before speaking. “You found the door then?”

“You knew about it?” Keith asked, voice sharp, but that didn’t seem to faze Matt.

“I hoped it was a lie. Every day, I hoped it was all a lie,” Matt said then turned to look at Keith. “Your mother told me about it.”

“My mother?” Keith asked.

Instinctively, Lance reached out for Keith’s hand. Keith glanced at him and laced their fingers together.

“Yes, and your father, right before they helped me escape.”

“You just said it was my father,” Keith said. “You never told me about my mother.”

“I didn’t tell you about a lot of things.”

“Maybe you should tell us,” Lance offered. “I think we should all know what’s lurking around.”

Matt leaned back and nodded. “You’re right. If they’re back, then you need to know.”

“Matt, you don’t have to. I can do the rest. Just tell us what you know about the door,” Pidge said glaring at Lance.

“That’s not how this works, Pidge. I’m older than you, and I appreciate you trying to look out for me, I do, but it’s about time you stop trying to protect me. I guess it’s also time I stop trying to protect Shiro, too. We...I’ve been in love with Shiro for forever, but I'm also his best friend. We had a sort of friends with benefits relationship in high school until Shiro started dating this guy named Adam that he thought for sure he was going to marry after he graduated high school. He was the type to move really fast, but I think it was more him not having the time.”

“Because he was sick,” Keith added.

Matt looked over at Keith and smiled. “He didn’t want you to know, guess you found out anyway. But, it was early stages and aliens have awesome medical technology. Other than the arm, and mental scarring, Shiro was perfectly fit. But, basically, I’ve always tried to stay out of Shiro’s romantic relationships. We only really hung out on weekends doing nerdy stuff. We would go up on the old water tower and look through a telescope at the sky. It was just after Shiro’s high school graduation that we saw the aliens. He’d been complaining about cows disappearing and reappearing and we saw this light so we, like a bunch of stupid kids, ran after it. Turns out they weren’t stealing cows, they were using them to implant bombs, but sometimes they would malfunction. I won’t explain it, only Pidge will want to know, but basically, there's the chance the gases in and cow and how their digestive system works can mess with the Galra tech.”

“Galra, is that what I am?” Keith asked.

“Yeah,” Matt said and turned away from Keith. “They’re not all bad, they'd just had a war, destroyed their own planet, and decided earth was a good place to conquer next. But there was also a resistance. Your Mom was good. I only knew her for about an hour. Your dad talked about her a lot, though, when we were stuck in the cells together. See, there were Galra examining why the cows weren’t working and we just ran right in, but Mr. Kogane was out working that night and heard us screaming so he ended up captured, too. It’s a bit blurry from there, but we ended up in this huge spaceship and they kept asking us about this thing called Voltron. Mr. Kogane and I were moved to an area where we had to help them figure out this cow deal, but Shiro was taken somewhere else. “For the Emperor’s Entertainment,” they said. I think it was like a gladiator ring. All the Galra that weren't part of the resistance lived on that ship, being rationed and disposed of when they proved too weak. I felt a bit bad for them until they decided Mr. Kogane and I weren’t any use and wanted to throw us in with Shiro.”

“Shiro wouldn’t have hurt you,” Keith said.

Matt shook his head. “He would have. They’d taken his arm and replaced it with this mind controlling thing. It was him versus your father. They were sure Shiro would win so they had me in the back encase the entertainment ran short. I remember watching it and then all these other Galra wearing different uniforms showed up and suddenly Mr. Kogane had a knife and he was fighting back to back with this Galra soldier he was always glancing at when we were locked in the cells. I should have realized she was your mom, Keith. I’d never seen your mother in her purple form and I have only a couple of memories of her from when I was very small as a human. She tore Shiro’s arm off and Mr. Kogane carried him away. It’s still pretty blurry for me, but I know we made it to an escape ship. We ended up on some unused land that was being sold in Arus. Your mother, she was very quick with her words and I was going crazy so I never fully understood what was going on. Trying to think about it confuses me, but she told me to keep an eye on the sky encase the Galra came back to use Voltron. Then she stuffed something into Shiro’s arm wound and left.”

Keith suddenly stood. “They left!”

“Yeah, I figured you’d be mad,” Matt said. “Your mother was wounded really badly and there were other Galra coming after us. Your father had to go back with her and made me promise to get Shiro back to you.”

Keith was shaking as he stood there, anger and grief written all over his face. Lance used his hand still holding on to Keith’s to bring his boyfriend into his lap. “Hey, hey, I’m here, Keith.”

“It seems like you’ve been keeping a lot of stuff to yourself, Matt,” Pidge said.

Matt gave her a hoarse laugh. “Now you understand why some days I just can’t. Some days, I just need to know Shiro’s still there. I dragged his body from the middle of nowhere to the teeny tiny police station in Arus. No one believed me when I tried to explain what happened. They thought I was crazy. Once I calmed down, I thought I must be crazy, but then Shiro was fine. I told you only what I thought you needed to know. I...after getting my GED and getting accepted into the Garrison, I just couldn’t deal with aliens anymore. I went into weather science so I could watch the skies without hearing about aliens all the time. Keith’s pretty much all I can take.”

“I don’t think anyone blames you, Matt,” Lance said. “Well, I mean I wasn’t there and my word probably doesn’t matter, but that’s some rough stuff.”

“Thank you, Lance.”

Keith sat up in Lance’s lap. “I don’t blame you. You didn’t grow up knowing aliens exist. You didn’t grow up living in constant fear or danger.”

“Yeah, that kind of thing takes a lot out of you, buddy,” Lance said and grinned. “Not that not telling was a good idea, but you have to choose what you think is right and sometimes it's the right thing to do even though it will cause problems later.”

“Matt,” Pidge said and wrapped her arms around her brother, "I know that's not all, but you don't have to explain every awful thing that happened to you. It’s fine, you got what’s important out. I just wish I could help more.”

Matt held her back. “Well, finding that door might be the most helpful thing.”

“Technically, Lance found it, but I did all the sciencey stuff.”

“Wait, didn’t you say something about Keith’s mom stuffing something in Shiro’s arm?” Lance asked.

“Oh, right. That was the whole reason we got into this conversation,” Matt said and reached out for his water. He took a sip before continuing. “The reason I hoped this door didn’t exist is because that would mean Shiro has the key.”

☆

Lance was held up in _Garrison Insurance_ grading the last big projects before he was swamped with end of the year events and fifth grade graduation. He agreed to babysit the place while Keith ran errands and Pidge was held up in the shack with Matt helping her with both the door and surveillance as well as working on her own graduate thesis. All he could really do was tell people who walked in that they weren’t doing repair work today or taking in more customers. Though, that insurance seemed like it might come in handy soon.

With a sigh, Lance pushed away from Keith’s desk and rubbed his hands over his face. He hated this, the waiting. There were these beings out there, aliens, and they wanted the earth or at least something from the earth. With how Matt described them, Lance thought they would have already come down and destroyed the earth. Matt did say there weren’t many of them. They could have always quietly integrated themselves like Keith and his mom. Why did everything have to be about fighting? Why couldn’t the first aliens to come to earth be respectable. Then again, Lance couldn’t really say they were the first.

When would they come for more than the cows?

What were they supposed to do to stop them?

The bell on the entrance rung and Lance looked up to see Keith entering.

“Hey there, Cowboy, how’s it going out on the ranch?” Lance asked.

Keith walked over to Pidge’s empty desk. He removed his hat and propped his hip against the edge. “I stopped by. Shiro’s still oblivious. Thinks the tests Pidge and Matt are doing is just part of their usual wacky experiments.”

“Perks of having super genius friends, I guess,” Lance said.

Keith sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I just…”

Lance stood from his chair. “Keith?”

“I hate lying to him, Lance. I get it, I do. Shiro knows he was abducted by aliens, he remembers the whole beginning, he just doesn’t remember anything after being taken from Matt and my dad. He would understand if we explained what’s going on. Yet, I just...I really don’t want to tell him. What happens if he can’t handle it? What happens if he can’t handle this?”

Lance immediately swooped in and wrapped his arms around Keith. “Hey, hey, Matt and Pidge are trying to figure out how to open that door without Shiro and they’re doing what they can to keep the ranch safe, but...Keith, we’re going to have to tell Shiro eventually. It might be better to do it before things get bad.”

Keith stiffened in Lance’s arms. “I...don’t want to.”

“Look, Keith, I’ve been thinking,” Lance started. He pulled away from Keith and took a seat in Pidge’s chair then took Keith’s hands in his. “I know what it’s like to keep secrets from people, dangerous secrets, but sometimes it’s safer if they know. Sometimes, they can do something about it or at least make you feel less scared.”

Keith squeezed Lance’s hands and nodded. “You’re right. Besides, Shiro can be oblivious, but he’s not stupid. He knows when people are hiding stuff from him. I gave Pidge a time limit. If she didn’t figure something out before graduation then I’d tell Shiro. He might even have information he’s been keeping from us subconsciously or not.”

“That’s true. Shiro seems like the kind of guy who is just as worried about those he loves as they are about him.”

Keith gave Lance a half-smile and leaned down hugging him. Lance pulled him down into his lap and ran his fingers through Keith’s hair.

“Is there something else you’re worried about?”

“I’m sure you’re worried about a lot of stuff, too,” Keith said.

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, I’m worried about a million things, like my grading and my boyfriend and the possibility of being invaded by aliens not as cute as my fluffy boyfriend. But, you know I’m always worried. There’s the constant worry I’m going to be thrown into the Bermuda triangle by the US government. That I'll never see my birth parents again, that kind of stuff.”

Keith leaned back. “Right, you’ve got a lot on your plate already. I shouldn’t be bothering you.”

“Oh no no no.” Lance grabbed Keith’s face between his hands and forced his boyfriend to look at him. “This is a relationship, Keith. If you have to listen to me nag twenty-four-seven about Ricardo Garcia talking back in class and Lalo Perez’s constant tattle-telling then you can lay a few of your heavier worries on me.”

Keith grinned, such a soft look after all the worry Lance had seen in Keith’s face over the month that Lance couldn’t help but smile back. It melted away after a moment but gave Keith enough energy, as Keith pulled Lance’s hands away from his face, to speak small but determined.

“It’s something Matt said. It really shouldn’t be bothering me, but it is. Maybe because it always has and I just refused to think about it, I don’t know.”

Lance moved his hands behind Keith’s back to hold him in place on his lap. “It can’t be anything silly if it has been with you that long.”

Keith took in a deep breath. “It’s about my parents. I...dad told me my mother didn’t leave because she wanted to, but because she had to. If I...if I hadn’t been part alien, I would question what could have made her leave and never contact us. And I know my father helped Matt and Shiro to escape and that’s courageous and I was so proud until I found out they came back. Lance, they came back only to leave again.”

“Yeah, they did do that, didn’t they.”

“When I was in the homes," Keith continued, "I used to wonder if anyone loved me. I thought Shiro was the only one who cared at all after Grandma died. I eventually realized that was silly, my parents were fighting an intergalactic war, but not being able to tell anyone that really hurt. I just...if they loved me, why didn’t they come to see me or take me back with them that night. I could have helped in the war, I’m good at fighting.”

Lance turned away. “Sometimes adults make selfish choices in the name of those they love. Which is bullshit.”

“What?” Keith asked sounding surprised.

Lance glanced at Keith. “It’s true, it’s bullshit, but it’s the choice they made when we weren’t old enough to make our own choices. Your mother was the alien so she went back to keep her lover and their child safe. Your father chose your mother’s safety over being with you. If you had the choice, you probably would have wanted your father to stay with you, right? Both to stay if you could, but what would be the consequences of that? All the work he’s done up there, your mother’s life, what would he have risked staying with you? It was that or keep you in a place with people he knew could love you. You can choose to be mad, to hate him, any bitter feelings you want, but ultimately you’re here right now with me because of the choices your parents made. And, I for one, am glad to have you where I can feel you than dead on some intergalactic battlefield.”

Keith sighed and leaned his forehead against Lance’s. “When did you become so wise, Lance McClain?”

“I am a teacher after all,” Lance chuckled then sighed. “But, it’s not schooling, it’s experience. People like me are probably the closest thing you’ll find to having lived your life.”

“Do you hate them?” Keith asked. "Your parents?"

“No, but sometimes I still resent them," Lance answered. "They wanted me to have better opportunities, and I did, but it kind of feels like they threw me away when I have to call them by their names. And it feels lonely when I have to look at my niece and nephew and know I have to keep it from them, at least for now.”

“Do you feel lonely now?”

Lance shook his head and leaned up to catch Keith’s lips in a chaste kiss. “I could never feel lonely with you, Keith.”

“Lance,” Keith said softly.

Lance looked into his boyfriend’s eyes. Their darkness was swirling with so many different emotions. “Yeah?”

Keith scooted further on Lance’s lap and let his lips graze across his in a chaste kiss. “I don’t want to feel lonely, especially not with you. Show me you’re here.”

Lance took a few deep breaths staring into Keith’s eyes then moved a hand behind his boyfriend’s head and responded with his lips in a slow trembling kiss. For a moment, he remembered the loneliness he’d learned to shove into the back of his mind, the homesickness for a home that had never really been home to him. Keith didn’t taste like the sun shining on sparkling sand or smell like saltwater clinging to his skin, but he tasted like the only thing Lance ever wanted and smelled like everything he needed. Lance tried not to think about the seriousness of the situation they were in, it was so strange to think about, but he wanted Keith to know he was here, that he loved him even if he hadn’t said it yet. He was just a nameless boy from Cuba, but he’d do what he could to keep them safe.

Keith’s fingers made swift work of Lance’s tie and the buttons of his shirt. Then he was pulling off his own jacket and climbing down Lance’s body opening up his fly to release his dick. Lance watched with his heart hammering against his chest as Keith bobbed his head, the tugs up slow, eyelashes kissing as he moaned around Lance'd dick. Lance couldn’t help think Keith looked pretty like this. Too pretty, and they hadn’t gotten a lot of unsupervised time together outside of the shack recently. He grabbed onto Keith’s hair and carefully tugged him off.

“Hey, Kitten, slow down, I’m not going anywhere right now. Unless of course you just want me to return the favor.”

Keith glanced at Lance’s dick once then stood back up and started to remove his shirt. “The second drawer of my desk, there’s lube. There’s an emergency shower in the bathroom so I’ll just wash up after.”

Lance didn’t question why Keith had lube in the office, he’d learned his boyfriend was a lot freakier than it seemed. He rolled Pidge's chair over to Keith's desk then rolled back with lube in hand just as Keith dropped his pants and boxers. Lance paused looking at Keith’s chest already exposed chest.

“When did you get those?”

Keith glanced down and ran a hand over his heart where a simple tattoo of the constellation of Leo was inked into Keith’s pale skin. Turning slightly showed another constellation, this one of Scorpio in that area that wasn’t quite his hip or his side or his stomach, on his right side of his body.

“Oh, um, as soon as the marks were gone. I took a picture and went to a guy.”

The marks, Lance’s marks. Lance fiddled with the lube bottle. “Shouldn’t you be careful with those?”

Keith grinned. “I heal faster than you full-blooded humans.”

“Heh, well, I’m surprised, but it feels like something you would do.”

Keith leaned his bare ass against Pidge’s desk, a flush making its way across his chest. He glanced at Lance beneath his bangs. “Do you like them?”

The simple black ink did look striking on Keith’s pale skin. Lance moved up to Keith and wrapped a hand around his waist. “You look beautiful.”

Keith lifted a hand to Lance’s face and stroked it. He tilted his head up for a kiss.

Lance slowly worked them back up into the heat they had moments ago in the chair then helped lift Keith onto the desk. He settled himself between Keith’s legs and Keith leaned back, his biker gloves still on his hands, but nothing else but those constellations covering his body. Lance kissed down Keith’s body, careful of the tattoos though he wanted to place kisses on them so badly it hurt. Keith’s breaths were heavy as Lance worked lower then took Keith’s dick in his mouth returning the favor as he poured lube onto his hole.

“Lance,” Keith moaned.

Lance.

Lance.

Lance.

He had heard Keith moan that name so much and it had always worked to heat him up, but, now, when he was really listening, he was glad Keith had gotten his zodiac sign on his heart and not his name. For the first time, the name Lance sounded like someone else coming from Keith’s lips.

Who was he?

Instead, he focused on slipping his fingers into Keith’s hole, stretching him, curling them just right to bring the most pleasure to Keith. A scream broke Lance’s concentration.

Keith had tears running down his face, his lips bright red, and his eyes were having a hard time focusing on Lance. His dick was so wet.

“Please, put it in,” Keith begged.

Lance forced a grin. “What, don’t like my finger game.”

Keith furrowed his brow as he looked up at Lance then grinned. He reached out for his hat he’d placed on the desk and sat up propping it on top of Lance’s head.

“Oh, no, it’s good, but I’m more interested in what your dick can do Cowboy,” Keith purred.

Cowboy.

Well, it didn’t really matter what Keith called him. It was his dick he wanted.

Lance adjusted the hat on his head and brightened his grin. “Well then, be ready to be fucked out of this world.”

Keith leaned back and Lance aligned himself. His dick slid in with just enough resistance that it wouldn’t hurt Keith, but he still felt tight.

“Yessss,” Keith moaned out and wrapped his legs tight around Lance’s waist bringing him in deeper.

Lance braced his hands on either side of Keith and began to move. Keith held onto the opposite end of the desk and watched Lance, their eye contact only breaking when the pleasure was too much and Keith had to compose himself. With every thrust closer to his end, Lance moved down an inch closer until he was barely hovering above Keith.

“Lance,” Keith sighed and grabbed Lance pulling him down for a kiss.

That ‘Lance’ had felt right. Lance kissed back with more feeling, his thrusts slow. When they pulled away, he began to go fast and rough once more.

Keith reached down to stroke his own dick. It didn’t take long to cum. He was a shivering mess as Lance continued to rock into his body, but Lance wasn’t far behind. He kissed along Keith’s shoulder as he waited for the high to fizzle away. Keith wrapped his hands around Lance’s neck knocking the hat off and kissed at his hair.

“Lance, you’re too good to me,” Keith said softly.

“That’s not true,” Lance muttered and buried his face into Keith’s chest.

Keith combed his fingers through Lance’s hair and Lance got the feeling he was crying. He shifted so he fell out of Keith and laid there like a warm blanket comforting his boyfriend. It was easier to succumb to that need than entertain the insecurities he'd spent most his life sweeping into the back corners of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next month is two chapters~~~~
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated.


	16. "What Potent Blood..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Update May 22

**16\. “What Potent Blood…”**

Lance leaned against the fence admiring his boyfriend. Keith was on Red with Kosmo at the horse’s hooves as the sun set behind the mesquite trees. With an easy trot, Keith headed towards the fence, but it was the large dog that saw Lance first. It easily cleared the top then twirled a couple times barking happily trying to jump on Lance.

“Easy there, boy,” Lance laughed giving the huge ball of fluff the attention it deserved.

When Kosmo was done, Lance walked to the gate holding it open for Keith and Red. Keith grinned at him as he trotted past and Lance locked up after him. When he turned back, Keith was dismounting.

“Hey there, Teach, you switch off with Pidge?” Keith asked.

Lance groaned and leaned against the gate. “Yeah, but it’s so hot in that shack. Michigan has its bad days, but this is like being back in Miami, just without the sea breeze.”

“We can probably work something out and go to the beach for a few days once school is out for you,” Keith offered.

“Hey now, don’t get me excited. I’ve still got almost three more weeks of this to go then summer school. May is supposedly the end of the year, but it’s really not.”

“Oh, poor you,” Keith mocked and moved to stand in front of Lance leaning in. “Is there anything I can do to ease your pain?”

Lance grinned. “Oh, I could think of something.” He tipped Keith’s cowboy hat back and met his boyfriend halfway in a kiss that only lasted a few seconds.

“Want to ride Red back with me or do you want to walk?” Keith asked.

“Hmm, riding together is romantic, but it’s so hot. Let’s just hold hands. I think Pidge said Matt is with Shiro and I don’t want to get there too fast without them knowing we’re coming.”

Keith scoffed. “If we actually walked in on something that would be a miracle.”

Keith grabbed Red’s reigns and held out his other hand. Lance took it and Kosmo walked beside him for a bit before running off only to bring back a stick. It didn’t take much for Lance to be coerced into a game of fetch as they walked.

“Pidge won’t be graduating this year,” Keith said. “She’s trying to get into some study program in Russia so she got the school to postpone her graduation. I think it’s more of an excuse to focus on the shack than her schoolwork, though.”

Lance sighed. “I understand why this is important, but it still bothers me. She probably could have graduated years ago. I know she plans to go for a doctorate, but she doesn’t have to take ten years to get it.”

“Well, she doesn’t particularly need the degree, she just wants it.”

“She’s privileged and she knows it, but she’s been ignoring Romelle, too. Hunk, Shay, and Romelle have become good friends and she's started texting me, too, since Allura added her to our talk smack about our crushes chat."

"I hope you don't talk smack about me," Keith frowned.

Lance grinned and squeezed their connected hands. "Only about how much I want to smack your ass."

Keith kicked out a leg and tripped Lance, but he didn't let him fall.

Lance laughed and righted himself. "Romelle’s going with Allura on a trip around Europe during the summer, she wanted to ask Pidge to go since Allura will be at functions most of the time. If Shay wasn't pregnant, they all were going to go on a girl's trip.”

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand. “It’ll be fine. Pidge has never put romance first.”

“I just wanted everyone to be happy again. Mama McClain hasn’t even called me about visiting Michigan or meeting up in Miami during the summer.”

“Oh?”

Lance looked over at Keith. His boyfriend looked surprised and Lance suddenly felt guilty. Keith knew his secret, he knew the names of his family members, but Lance had never really talked about what was going on with them now. He usually ignored it. He’d come here as not to be a bother, to make his own life, but he was still branded as Lance McClain.

"Lance," Keith started.

"I'm probably just worrying too much about it. Summer isn't even here yet. Since I'm so far away, it makes sense I'd get the information last," Lance concluded. "It'll be fine."

"If you're sure."

Keith looked unconvinced, but Lance regretted bringing it up in the first place.

“Hey, so Hunk gave me a recipe for enchiladas. Maybe we can take my bike down to the market tomorrow and have an enchilada Sunday or something if you want to help me make them,” Keith offered.

Lance laughed. “Only if we go to that Mexican grocery store after so I can get some freshly made tortillas and real cheese.”

“But, I’m lactose intolerant,” Keith said.

Lance started to point out that Keith still ate cheese religiously when there was a sudden crash just as they came upon the horse stables. Turning to the sound, Lance saw the water tower starting to lean, an eerie creak echoing through the ranch as it fell and came to a stop. It didn’t fall completely, but Lance was sure most of his equipment had been damaged and there was no way the water tower could stay leaning like that for long.

“Oh my god, your shit!” Keith yelled.

“No fuck, my shit!” Lance yelled only for a loud boom to sound from the pastures where the cows usually grazed followed by another and another. “Oh my fuck, your cows!”

“Fuck,” Keith agreed and let go of Lance’s hand to jump onto Red.

Lance grabbed Keith’s reigns before he could rush over. “No, Keith! You make more off the horses than the cows. Get Red in the stables and then we’ll call someone.”

Keith looked like he wanted to argue, but a flash of lights got his attention. Lance looked up as well. The last time Lance had truly known what it was like to piss himself from fear, he'd been five hidden in a closet with his mother. He was an adult now, but if there was ever a time to lose such a function, he was sure now was far better. The flashing didn’t last long, but for a moment, Lance saw what he could only describe as a ship in the sky before it disappeared.

“Keith, go,” Lance said already moving towards the stable. Kosmo was on his heels growling and barking.

As soon as Lance got the doors opened, Keith galloped inside and jumped off Red. He was sloppy with undressing the horse and putting it in the stable then he started messing with each horse’s pin.

“What are you doing?”Lance asked.

“I don’t want them to run out and end up like the cows, but if they need to escape, I don’t want them to have a hard time doing so. You were right about the horses, but they're also better trained.” Keith finished up and they lightly closed the stable, not locking it, before hurrying to the house.

On the back porch, Shiro had his arms wrapped around Matt looking worried while the younger man stared off into the sky. He only looked away as Lance and Keith approached.

“D-did you see it?”

They looked at each other before nodding.

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked.

“Get Matt inside, Shiro,” Keith said helping to gather the other man’s shaking form.

Lance held the door and tried not to look at Shiro’s pleading eyes.

“Is it one of the hands playing a prank?”

Lance locked the door behind them and peeked outside.

“Takashi, don’t ask questions when you know the answer,” Matt said taking a seat on the couch. Kosmo jumped up and pressed his face against his shoulder. Matt took comfort in the big dog.

“I don’t...do you need me to make some cocoa?” Shiro asked.

“Only if you want to poison me. We don’t have time for that right now. Lance, do you see anything out there?”

Lance turned away from the window. Matt had pulled out his cellphone and looked to be monitoring something.

Keith came to sit down beside Matt. “Are you getting any reading on anything?”

“Yeah, Pidge just sent me some data, too,” Matt answered.

Lance turned back to the window then cursed under his breath.

“What did you see Lance?” came Keith’s voice getting up to get a glance.

“They’re wearing armor, but like the kind in a sci-fi movie. It's got to be them.”

“I can barely see them, but it does look like there’s at least five coming this way,” Keith confirmed.

“There’s four, but there’s probably more further off.”

“Guys, what is coming?” Shiro asked.

They turned to look at Shiro. He was standing with his hands held out in confusion and anger on his face as he looked between the other people in his house. Matt stood, took out a hairband, and pulled back his mess of hair snapping the band in place.

“Aliens,” Matt answered. “The aliens are back.”

Shiro’s brow furrowed. His left hand was shaking, though his right was still only because mechanics couldn’t pick up such subtle movements. He closed his eyes for a moment and took deep breaths before turning and heading for his room.

“Shiro, wait, where are you going?” Keith called after him.

Lance followed. He found Shiro in his room pulling away a fake board behind his dresser in which was revealed a small arsenal. He was strapping on a shotgun when Lance knocked on the doorframe.

“So, you’ve got guns I see,” Lance said.

Shiro only spared Lance a glance before going back to fitting himself. “This is Texas and we’re on a ranch, of course I have guns.”

“Does Keith know?” Lance asked.

“Yes, he’s just not allowed to touch them, I have to keep them locked up.”

Lance walked up beside Shiro. “Unless one of those can stab somebody, I don’t think he’d be interested.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes, Lance.”

“Alright, then give me one.”

Shiro looked back at Lance. “What, no.”

"Shiro, there are aliens outside."

"Do you even know how to use a gun, Lance?" Shiro asked.

Lance crossed his arms. “I’m an illegal immigrant from Detroit, if we’re going off stereotypes, I know my way around a gun just fine.”

Shiro only continued to glare.

“Come on, Shiro, you can’t be the only one protecting us. Keith will literally run straight into it, I already stopped him once. It’ll be easier on us with two.”

Shiro sighed and picked up a smaller gun. He handed it to Lance with some bullets. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Lance smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Leaving Shiro’s room, they found Keith and Matt raiding Keith’s array of knives and swords. Matt looked at ease swishing a butterfly knife around. When he saw Lance, he grinned and pocketed the knife.

“I’m not completely helpless,” Matt said.

“Keith, you’re not running out to fight those guys,” Shiro warned.

Keith had a sword that had no right looking as sharp as it did with the obvious videogame look it had in his had as he glared at Shiro. “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the load of confidence.”

Lance sighed. “Can we just get going?”

Shiro turned to him. “Going? Where?”

“The shack, Pidge is there,” Keith said.

“Shit, you guys stay here and I’ll go get her,” Shiro instructed.

Matt grabbed Shiro’s arm. “No, we all have to go. They’re coming here, they obviously know this is the most likely place for us to be. If we leave now, it will be easier to throw them off, they’re still pretty far away.”

Shiro stared at Matt for a moment before giving in “Alright. Heads and kneecaps, right?”

Matt looked stunned for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, if they’re still the same people we fought on the ship.”

Lance stayed in the back of the group as they made it out the front door. Taking a car to get to Lance’s house and then going to the shack from there seemed like a good idea, but the noise of the car might alert the aliens and they agreed it would be best not to lead the aliens to Lance’s house encase they needed another escape. Besides, it was the shack they needed to protect, not the house. They made their way to the side of Shiro's house and glanced out at the fields off in the distance.

“We should just book it,” Lance suggested.

Keith said, “I agree with Lance. Dashing one at a time might split us up and give them more chances to see us.”

“It would also take longer,” Matt agreed.

“Okay, but Keith, keep hold of Kosmo. He’s as bad as you,” Shiro said.

Keith scoffed but grabbed Kosmo’s collar.

Shiro held up three fingers then slowly lowered each one. When he made the motion to go, they ran until they reached the barn and hid around the side. Lance took a glance. There were more aliens now, but their attention seemed mostly focused on the house itself. Still, they didn't know what kind of high tech gear the aliens had.

“Here, wear these,” Keith said throwing old feed sacks at everyone. “They might not have seen us run here, but the run to the trees is farther. If we stay low, this will help cover us once we get to the trees, break up our colors a bit more.”

“Hey, any camouflage is better than what we have on,” Matt said and quickly wrapped the sack around him.

Keith also produced a piece of rope and tied it to Kosmo’s collar then reached out for Lance’s hand. Lance took it and squeezed. He was scared, but it also felt a bit like he was in some movie. This wasn’t really his reality. He’d seen Keith in his alien form, kissed every part of it, but it suddenly felt unreal. If it had been immigration after them right now, Lance knew he wouldn’t be able to comfort his boyfriend. Yet, in a sense, wasn't this worse? They were all alone in this reality.

Lance was used to being alone.

Matt held his hand out for Shiro. “Better to stay close, right? One gun and one sword together, just encase we get separated.”

Shiro took Matt’s hand and relief seemed to wash over him. Lance felt respect for his fellow teacher. Shiro was definitely the most scared and confused now even if Matt looked it. Shiro didn’t remember what these aliens did to him, he just knew he had to protect everyone.

“Straight for the trees then,” Shiro said.

They ran.

Lance thought he saw an alien look there way, but he didn’t hear anything, not until they were halfway to the shack.

It was a cow, but something was wrong. Well, more than wrong, there was a kind of robot poking out of its split skull. When the robot saw them, the cow started running at them and the robot blinked red.

“Keith, I think we've figured out what they were trying to implant in those cows that were exploding,” Lance said and lifted his gun in his free hand to shoot.

Shiro shot first. Letting go of Matt’s hand, he aimed his shotgun at the robot and shot off what looked to be a sensor. It didn’t stop beeping, but the cow slowed to a trot walking aimlessly around.

“Guys, I’m going to tell Pidge to start the transmission blockers we’ve been placing around the ranch. You’ll lose all ability to use your phones until we get in the safe space around the shack,” Matt said and pulled out his phone.

“You two should go ahead,” Shiro said looking at Lance and Keith.

“Shiro, what, no!” Keith argued.

“You’re right.” Shiro turned to Matt. “You should go with them. I was wondering what all the experiments were about. They’ll need you to activate them.”

Lance narrowed his eyes looking past Shiro. He saw another cow in the direction of where they were going. It's head suddenly split open and Lance was glad they were close enough to hear it as a robot on folded from the caver. Lance lifted his gun and didn’t notice the sudden silence until after he’d shot.

“Fuck, Lance, what was that!” Keith yelled.

“Oh, there was another traitor cow.”

“You could have warned me, I would have gotten it,” Shiro said. "For a second I thought maybe they'd mind controlled you when you pointed that at me."

Was that a possibility? Was that a possibility only Shiro knew?

Lance groaned and ruffled his hair. “Shiro, you don’t get it, do you? You can’t be a hero right now. Do you not understand the reason you don’t know what’s going on is because it’s you we’re trying to protect? Cuz it is.”

“Lance, are you okay?” Keith asked.

“Of course not. None of us are. I teach fifth grade at a school in the middle of nowhere Texas and it’s almost graduation yet I’m out here being chased by unfriendly aliens and robot infested cows! I’m freaking out! I just want to get Shiro to the Shack and figure this out so I can go back to pretending Lance McClain's life is perfect.”

Keith looked hurt. Lance wanted to apologize for his outburst, but he was so tired.

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered.

Matt looked away, guilt written on his face as well, and grabbed Shiro’s shoulder. “Come on, before more infested cows show up.”

There was little interference as they made the rest of their way to the shack. It was easier to avoid the cows when Lance was looking out for them so he didn’t have to think about the uncomfortable distance between him and Keith, Kosmo walking between them.

Once inside the shack, Lance knocked a couple times on the hidden door before opening it. Matt jumped down first then Shiro. Keith pushed Kosmo in then looked back at Lance once before jumping. Lance glanced around just to be sure then followed and closed the door behind him. They found Pidge curled up next to the still glowing door with that shrapnel piece beside her staring at her computer setup while clutching her phone. She looked at all of them as they approached then sighed.

“Thank god.”

Matt immediately leaned down next to his sister and pulled her into a tight hug. Lance knew she was crying, but looked away.

Pidge lifted her head from Matt’s shoulder after a minute and turned to Shiro. “Did you tell him about the key?”

“Key?” Shiro asked.

Matt got up and lightly placed a hand on Shiro’s metal arm. “Shiro, I’ve been keeping something from you. I hoped it wasn’t real, but Krolia was never someone to make jokes. You told me that.”

“Krolia?” Shiro’s eyes glazed over and he looked at his arm. “What did she say?”

“Not a lot, but she put something in your arm. When we made you this arm, my dad didn’t ask a lot of questions. I was careful no one else would see it. There’s a key in your arm, Shiro, and we need it.”

Shiro only looked at his arm for a moment before pulling away and lifting his shirt off along with a few of his guns. He offered his shoulder to Matt.

“Go ahead.”

Lance watched from his peripheral as Matt began pulling at the seams of Shiro’s prosthetic arm. Once the protective and decorative covering was loosened, Matt got to work on the wires and metalwork underneath. Shiro sat stiffly, making only small sounds of discomfort until Matt literally yanked it off. There was blood and Pidge was beside them using her jacket to help with the bleeding. Matt pulled out the butterfly knife and began cutting into the healed skin of Shiro’s shoulder. Keith ran over with a bandana and placed it in Shiro’s mouth as the pain became obvious. Lance looked away when Matt started pushing his fingers into newly cut muscle and didn’t look back until he could hear the Holt siblings arguing with each other.

“I’ll use the key,” Keith finally said. “Lance, can you come hold Shiro, please?”

Lance turned feeling sick seeing Matt dangling a blood-covered piece of metal between him and Pidge. He then looked to Keith and Shiro. Shiro was sweating and bleeding and was now laying down with his head in Keith’s lap. Keith had Pidge’s jacket pressed against Shiro's shoulder not looking at Lance.

“Sure,” Lance agreed and took up Keith’s spot.

Lance pressed Pidge’s jacket to the wound but pulled back when he heard Shiro groan. Shiro gave him a reassuring grin, but it didn’t help. What was Lance even doing here? He pressed the jacket back to Shiro's wound and listed off the names of every student's family he knew in his head.

Keith wiped the key against his pants. It was metal and bent strangely. Pidge moved over to her laptop and started typing stuff into it,

“I’ll try and locate where it’s supposed to go. There’s a lot of glyphs on the door so it might take a minute. Should we get someone to attempt a run to Lance’s house for supplies? I’m worried about Shiro.”

Keith held up a hand. “I...I think I know where it goes.”

Keith held the key just higher than where the usual lock on any other door would be and felt around with it until it slid into one of the lit-up glyphs. There was a click and then the lights on the door shifted revealing only one sign that resembled a handprint. Keith lifted his hand and pressed it against it. The handprint was much too big for Keith’s hand, yet the door slid open by falling to the ground below. A dark hall was revealed. Keith took a cautious step inside and it was suddenly lit with the same alien glow the door had.

“Matt, can you help Lance with Shiro? I’m going to walk ahead and make sure everything’s open. I’ll take Kosmo with me,” Keith said and pocketed the key.

Lance struggled with Shiro. The man was really trying not to lean, but the anguish on his face mad Lance think he was fighting with more than just his physical pain. Lance started naming off the soccer students as Matt helped hold Shiro up, Pidge walking behind them with her tech gear gathered in her hands frowning at the screen.

“I’m glad Keith figured out how that key worked, it’s not just those cows surrounding us now. A couple aliens have started this way,” Pidge said.

“I hope they’re not smart enough to figure out how that trap door works up top,” Matt added.

Just then, the door behind them shot up locking them into the new glowing hall.

“Let's just catch up to Keith,” Lance said.

Other doors slammed shut as their group passed, but it was the glowing lights that worried Lance. Sometimes their warmth felt like it was piercing him. They probably had some way to scan him, like when he walked through metal detectors at the airport. Finally, they got to one last door that wasn’t opened but gave way with a small push.

Inside, Keith sat in front of a collage of displays and multiple desks that looked like they came right out of a sci-fi movie with Kosmo’s head in his lap. There was a woman on the screen fiddling with controls while she talked with a man sitting behind her. She looked so much like Keith and yet not at all. Her skin and hair were purple, the same shade as the patches Keith got when he detoxed. The man beside her looked so familiar, Lance was sure Keith must have shown him at least one picture of him. Keith's father no doubt. He could see bits and pieces of the man in Keith, but Keith was most definitely his mother’s son even without the looks.

It hurt.

Finally, the woman stopped fiddling and took a seat in front of the screen.

“Hello, my name is Krolia,” the woman started, her face soft, but wavering. “I am leaving this message here for a special someone who I will love unconditionally all my life. Unfortunately, you’re too young right now for me to give a proper goodbye to, so this will have to do. I have other videos set up for you depending on the situation you find yourself in, but if you find this one, that means the day I made this video was the last day I ever held you in my arms and may very well be the last I ever will. There are things in this world much larger than any of us and they tear us apart but know that if I could have stayed with you without risking every other child’s happiness in this wonderful place, I would have stayed. A thousand times, I would have stayed. I need to protect you, that’s what I do, that’s what I’ve always done in my line of work, so I suppose it is natural that I would do the same for you. I know it is selfish, but our wish to always be together compared to keeping this whole planet together, what am I supposed to do when I know what’s coming? I don’t ask that you forgive me, I just ask that you understand because if you are seeing this than leaving you wasn't enough and I must ask one thing of you, my little flame.”

The woman’s face suddenly turned serious. “If you find this message, you know what happened, or at least enough to know what you must do. Before I left Earth’s orbit, I planted devices on your satellites as well as a few of my own. They are connected to a device I was tasked with retrieving from the Galra and implanting on earth in order to protect those here and finish the war. It is both a weapon and a shield. It will vaporize anything that enters the earth's atmosphere that wasn’t caught leaving. As a weapon, it can also target things before they enter the atmosphere. That is what I need you to do. As for the password, well, you know it, I’m sure. I have faith in you after all.”

Then, the video cut off.

For a moment the room was silent other than the whirl of machines. Lance was startled by the sudden hick of closed-off sobbing. Looking at Keith’s form, he was shaking and Kosmo was whining beside him. Lance’s muscle’s jerked but stopped, Shiro still in his arms. The older man pushed away and stumbled over to Keith pulling him into his arms. Matt began rushing around the mess of a lab that made up the rest of the room as Pidge started looking over the dashboard.

Lance stood by the door, Shiro’s blood soaked into his shirt and pistols tucked into his jeans. It felt like his skin was too thick and yet like air, barely there at all. He turned and peeked out the door into the glowing halls as they started to dim until it was dark outside this little room.

And he felt alone.

☆

Lance didn’t know how long it was before anyone turned to him. He stood at the door with a gun at the ready just waiting for one of those traitor cows to grow hands and come down here, or worse, one of their creators. Matt had finished cleaning up Shiro's arms. Shiro was now resting on a chair in the far corner of this strange underground lab dozing in and out of sleep. Matt had moved to help Keith and Pidge go through files and equipment. Kosmo trotted between them, comforting Shiro, and standing guard with Lance. Honestly, Lance wished the dog would stay with him longer, it was the only time Lance didn’t feel like he was in the wrong skin.

An alarm suddenly went off from the mess of equipment Pidge had sprawled across a table. She rushed over and started cussing, fingers going a mile a minute on her keyboard.

“What is it?” Keith asked.

“Intruder, but...no that can’t be. It looks like fucking Lotor Daibazaal, but he’s purple!”

Lance turned away from the door and took a few steps to get a better look at Pidge’s computer. He saw blurry purple humanoid outlines walking through trees that looked a lot like the ones just outside the shack and then they were gone. A second later, the sound of something punching into the roof echoed through the halls of the lab.

“Shit, he’s trying to get in!” Pidge said.

“He won’t be able to make it past the key door,” Keith reminded her.

“Unless he has some kind of weapon. Keith, he’s purple, we don’t know what he has on him,” Pidge argued.

“I’ll shoot him the moment he makes it down here,” Lance explained.

“You can’t do that, he’s Lotor. We can’t explain away his disappearance. And by the feeds I’m getting from my other cameras, he has one of his girls with him and two more at the house shooting at those invaders.”

“So, he’s a good guy?” Matt asked.

“Well, that really depends on you,” said a voice from Pidge’s computer.

Suddenly, a screen popped up displaying Lotor now below the trap door of the shack. He looked just as prim and shady as any other day, except now he was purple. He grinned at them.

“How the fuck did you crack into my laptop?” Pidge asked and grabbed at her computer shaking it.

“Oh, it wasn’t easy, trust me. Getting ahold of your sound feed and still being able to show myself is taking all of poor Narti’s skills. I couldn’t even get a connection until now. Essentially, I’m blind to what you’re doing, though I can hear you,” Lotor explained.

“What do you want? Were you part of this?” Keith asked.

“Part of this?” Lotor sighed. “I suppose you could consider it that way, but I dare say we are on the same side. I did come to earth originally to retrieve Voltron and help my father conquer this new planet and make it our home, but then it became my home. You humans value these things in which you call diamonds that are nothing but fuel for the Galra. I found myself able to live a very comfortable life here and I’ve met people I would not see killed, or worse, taken prisoner. I believe Matt Holt and Takashi Shirogane may understand what that is like.”

“You knew about us?” Matt asked.

“I was sent here to track down the escaped prisoners and those who helped them escape. My father thought it would lead us to Voltron. It did, but I never did agree with the way that man did things. If you let me in, we may speak more.”

They all looked to Keith. Keith turned to Lance. Lance just jiggled his gun.

“Just you, not your girls. Whoever you have with you stays outside and guards,” Keith commanded.

Lotor held up his hands. “I accept.”

Keith turned back to his control panel and pressed a button. The doors in the hallway reopened and with the push of another button, the key door opened. The moment Lotor was through, Keith closed that door and every following door he stepped past until he stood before Lance with a gun pointed at his head.

“Oh, good to see you, Lance McClain, and Coach Shirogane,” Lotor said greeting the two teachers.

“And we’re surprised to see you, Lotor,” Shiro said, bandaged arm turned away from their new guest.

“What do you know, Lotor?” Keith asked.

“Well, it wasn’t hard to figure out Matt Holt and our dear coach there were the survivors, but I had been told there had been three escapees and so I looked into it. Honestly, Keith Kogane, I thought you might be a spy for Zarkon, but it appears you’re just an unfortunate child in all of this.”

"I wouldn't say I'm unfortunate," Keith rebuked.

Lotor sighed. "You and I are similar, Keith. I am not full Galra, either, but my mother was a traitor to her kind, a race that is now completely obliterated though there are traces of it here and on other planets through the galaxy."

"We're nothing alike. Don't try to make yourself sound like my friend."

"Oh, fair point, Keith. I'm not your friend and we are vastly different people, but we want the same thing, safety for this planet. You will need me to do this."

"What do you know?" Matt asked.

Lotor moved up to the main desk and began searching. "There is a battle fleet coming. It won't be here for a few more days. I doubt many of the aliens that have taken over your ranch are actually alien, mostly just sentries. It looks as if they've been waiting to attack so they can prevent the use of Voltron before the real war begins. Perhaps they were even looking to cause a bit of a panic so they could monitor what sort of weapons we have prepared here on earth for alien attacks. Little do we know, the only weapons we have would destroy the whole planet. Ah, here we go."

Lotor had a handful of cables and was following them around the room to a large cabinet. It was locked. It only took one touch from Keith to open it.

Inside was something incredible. Lance wasn't sure how to describe it. Crystalline, but it was definitely tech.

"Say hello to Voltron," Lotor explained. "It's much smaller than I thought it would be, but here we are."

"I can't even begin to imagine how this works," Pidge said coming close to it.

Lotor held out a hand. "I wouldn't touch it then. It is a form of technology even the Galra don't fully understand. My mother's people built it, but then they were destroyed. However, it appears your mother, Keith, has already done the hard part for us and adapted it to your primitive human technology."

"We're not primitive," Keith said.

"You would change your mind if you had seen the pictures of my mother's home like I had," Lotor said and moved a few wires out of the way before pulling a sliding desk out from behind the crystal housing a monitor and keyboard as well as a few other strange contraptions hooked up to Voltron. "The younger Holt, I believe this is what you should be looking at."

Pidge pushed past Lotor roughly and began to type away at the computer and fidgeting with the other gadgets, her face becoming more and more elated with each number that popped up on the screen. Lance could see a bit of it, but nothing made sense.

Stupid.

Stupid.

_I wonder if our Lance would have done this?_

Stupid.

Lance had steadied every night until he couldn't take it anymore.

Our Lance.

Lance hadn't heard them say that in years.

"I need a password to gain access."

Pidge's voice brought Lance out of his thoughts.

"Didn't Krolia say you'd know what it was?" Matt asked looking to Keith.

Keith looked unsure then brightened up. "Oh, that's...yeah I might have a guess."

He leaned over Pidge and typed something in quickly. A successful ding sounded.

"Wait, what did you type?" Pidge asked.

"He won't say it while I'm here, I'm sure," Lotor guessed.

They all sent him a quick glare.

A moment later, Pidge screamed. "This gadget here is too weak. I need to be able to get range. Lotor, you said this was a weapon, too."

"Yes, and I have coordinates. If we can get this working, we can put up the shield and shoot down my father's main fleet all within the hour," Lotor explained.

"Is that what you want?" Keith asked.

Lotor looked at Keith confused then sighed. "Yes. It has been many generations since our race was corrupted. Our planet began dying and they did nothing to save it. Instead, they looked to overtake other planets, even those that they deemed allies. This world is larger than any one system can truly understand. My system is destroyed. I don't know how easy it will be to find another habitable one and if there are any others out there with the ability to find it, so I want to protect this one. Each life in this vast universe is precious, that I do believe, but taking the lives of a few is worth protecting the lives of the many."

Keith nodded and turned to Pidge. "What do you need to fix the broken piece?"

Pidge was frowning at the offending device. "Actually, I think I've made a far better one of these before. Yeah, yeah I have. Lance's astronomy equipment has one of these, but it's far superior. This one is connected via a wireless signal far more advanced, so if we just transplant this chip that connects them to the one in Lance's tower then we should be good and have an even better range."

"All my shit is probably broken, the water tower got hit when the aliens started attacking," Lance said.

"There's also all those aliens still out there, can't you just build another one?" Keith asked.

"Maybe, but this one is outdated. It would be better to fix one of them from the tower. I actually built multiples. They can't all be broken, they're pretty sturdy."

“So, what you're saying is we need to get to the water tower?” Lance asked.

“It's not going to be easy, we will have to fight our way through,” Keith said.

“You can’t go, Kogane,” Lotor explained. “There may be other things here that need your DNA or password.”

Lance fiddled with his gun before sighing. This was stupid. “I’ll go.”

Keith reached out for Lance’s wrist. “You can’t! This isn’t your fight.”

Lance pulled away. “So what?”

“Actually,” Pidge interrupted, “it does involve him. This is for the betterment of the world, it won’t just evolve this ranch if we can’t get Voltron up and running.”

“That doesn't matter," Lance said. "Shiro can’t go because he’s hurt. Matt needs to stay with Shiro. Pidge has to read the controls, and no way in hell we’re letting Loreal here meet up with his people when it sounds like he's saying his father is the leader of these people."

There was a sudden silence and Lotor sighed. "Yes, I was alluding to that, McClain.

"See, we can't let the prince go. Besides, I’m a good shot and it’s my water tower with my equipment. I know what Pidge is talking about. And a stealth mission is better than everyone running out and fighting.”

“I’ll send Axca with him,” Lotor said. “Ezor and Zethrid have cleared out the first wave that came to the main Shirogane house. They can join her after to protect him. They're trained soldiers and have my full trust.”

“Lance, it’s too dangerous,” Keith insisted. “Even I...would hesitate to do this.”

Lance slipped the gun he'd been holding into the waist of his pants. “Well, that’s why _I’m_ doing it.”


	17. “...Hath Modest May” - Ralph W. Emerson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June 12th last chapter

**17\. “...Hath Modest May” - Ralph W. Emerson**

Axca was already stationed outside of the shack when Lance emerged. She handed him a gun and gestured for him to follow her without a word. Lance didn’t really know what to make of this woman. He guessed all of the Sincline group were actually Galra, but it was a strange realization and Lance could not properly process it. It had been almost too easy to accept Keith, but maybe that was because he was in love with Keith. And now Lance was doubting if he had even processed that correctly. It was a lot and he fiddled with the device Pidge had handed him as he kept a lookout for traitor cows or, worse, Galra soldiers.

Halfway to the water tower, Lance switched to leading while Axca fought quietly behind him. She moved quietly in the shadows and reminded Lance of Keith. She was more blue than purple, but she did look similar to Keith. Lance felt bad thinking that. He didn’t even know what Galra really looked like. They could be as diverse as humans. They could be mixed. Who knew how many other species were out there that interacted with each other. Lance didn’t. All he knew was that he had to get Voltron to work.

It wasn’t until the tower was within running distance that trouble showed up. Either the two cop women holding down the house were doing their job and getting the attention of all the Galra that had invaded so far, or there were fewer soldiers in this area than they thought. There was only a handful of soldiers guarding the tower as it leaned precariously to one side. They weren’t close enough to be hit when the water tower came down, but close enough to be a problem.

“I’ll get their attention,” Axca said. “You run and do what you have to. If anyone follows you, shoot them. Don’t try to be soft about it, we can’t let any of them escape.”

Can’t let them escape, Lance hadn’t thought about that. It would be a problem if the government found out about aliens. Yet, Lance still felt scared.

_The government can’t find out._

_The fewer people that know the better._

_They’re a danger to us, they have to go back._

_Don’t tell anyone._

Lance tried to filter the thoughts out of his head as he put a new clip into his gun. He nodded to Axca. The woman held two guns and rushed out shouting to get the guards’ attention. Quite a few pursued her and even more when she started shooting leading the group towards the house. Lance began moving in an arc around the trees to get closer watching the few guards that stayed behind. There were only three of them. Lance rushed out. He got a shot in on one and watched him go down. He wasn’t sure if he’d hit anywhere vital, but that wasn’t the point right now. He got one more before he had to duck behind a leg of the water tower, but just their hand, enough that they let go of their gun. The third guard backed up into the trees. Their gun looked short range so Lance took his chance.

The water tower was dangerously bent, but Lance was confident he could still get inside. It had leaned with the door on the side so his equipment wouldn’t fall straight out when he opened the door. Which meant the more expensive equipment would likely be on the top of whatever mess Lance found inside. Lance started climbing.

Lance was closer to the top than the bottom when the water tower started creaking. Part of the ladder was snapped, but still within reach and Lance maneuvered over to it. He used the railings to brace himself as he opened the door and felt the air leave his lungs when he almost lost balance from the force of the door swinging open. It was a lot of upper body strength that got him inside and Lance was thankful when he found the equipment Pidge had given him still in his pocket.

A large pile that was Lance’s research now collected on one side of the tower. Sharp pieces of metal poked out from all directions from beneath it. He was careful sliding down to the pile. Honestly, it wasn’t difficult for Lance to find the equipment he was looking for, but Pidge’s equipment was difficult to figure out and handling it might take a minute.

Lance felt it before he heard it. The creaking of the tower told Lance something was going down outside. Then there was metal clinking up the tower and Lance saw a head poke in. Lance didn’t hesitate to pick up his gun when he saw the armor of the intruder and shot. The Galra didn’t scream, there was just more metal scraping against the tower and then a large explosion. The tower tipped a whole foot more.

Finally, Lance managed to get the correct chip into Pidge’s signal device. He watched as a display lit up showing a loading screen. He cursed seeing it wasn’t going to be an immediate connection. He pocketed the device and looked around. He hadn’t really considered how he would get out of the tower, but he had enough scraps here to maybe build a staircase back up to the door. He had just started when another head popped in. Lance wasn’t quite as fast and the guard tumbled inside, but the guard wasn’t expecting such a deep slope so Lance got him on his second shot. And then he got the next guard.

Another explosion followed by a sickening crack from the tower.

Lance wondered if the aliens had been trying to bring down this tower the entire time. Lotor had said something about them knowing what they were looking for was here on the ranch. And with all of Lance’s equipment inside, this normally inconspicuous tower might look like the perfect spot for that, not something underground. Lance looked at the loading signal. It was almost there.

Just a few more seconds.

He needed to get out.

Another guard entered not even looking at Lance. Lance shot them. He wondered how many had tried to climb up before they started bombing the tower. If he climbed out, would they be waiting for him with guns blazing? Did it matter? All that mattered was that they get this signal complete. He didn’t have time to climb out now. He couldn’t risk letting the signal get crushed if he fell or it failing if he just left it here.

Well, then he would just have to defend. And if he fell at least he fell a protector of earth.

Lance laughed. Here was the real threat that everyone was oblivious to and he was just a boy from Cuba.

No one would remember his part in saving them all.

Another explosion.

Even though Lance knew what was coming, he still felt a dreaded shock in his body as the tower completely broke and he began to fall. The tower turned as it fell just enough for all of his equipment to push Lance to the edge of the door and he stared as the ground came closer and closer and then he was being pushed out the door.

Lance felt the pain of a railing against his side before he registered the pain from his back where his equipment had pushed him out. He held tight to the railing as the tower kept cracking and falling. Eventually, his hand caught onto the pulley he had installed and he held tight to the rope as pieces of his equipment began to fall to the ground below.

Any moment now, Lance knew he would feel a gunshot or something would smack into his head from above and he would fall. Instead, he heard a beeping. When he reached into his pocket to check on the signal, he realized he was sliding down the rope, blood covering them. But, the bar was full. A countdown had started. Lance let out a sigh of relief.

5...

“Lance!”

4…

Lance looked up to see Keith galloping out of trees towards the tower on Red.

3…

“You majestic bastard,” Lance muttered. It hurt to talk. He could feel a strain from his neck to his eyes.

2…

“Grab my hand, Lance!”

Idiot, Lance couldn’t reach it from here. Didn’t really matter if he could, though. He might as well try.

1…

Lance slid down the rope and let go just as a wave broke out across the ranch. It wasn’t painful, but Lance could hear it in his chest. It almost made him forget about the hand that grabbed his. It didn’t make him forget about how it felt to be swung onto the back of a horse bareback. Lance was just glad he hadn’t landed with his legs spread. Keith brought Red to a stop so Lance could get on him properly then started to trot back towards the shack. Not once did Keith say a word. Lance kept his hands lightly on Keith’s sides trying to process why he wasn’t dead.

“Keith, why were you there?” Lance finally asked.

Keith came to a complete stop. For a moment, he stayed quiet, but then he turned and glared at Lance. “Did you know?”

“Did I know what?”

“That that was basically a suicide mission,” Keith said. “Lotor admitted it could be extremely dangerous because apparently, the Galra thought Voltron was in that tower.”

“I sort of figured it out,” Lance admitted.

“And you didn’t try to escape?”

Lance turned away. “I did, but there was a point where escaping didn’t matter.”

“What do you mean it didn’t matter?”

“We needed Voltron to work or else the whole planet was in danger. I had the whole planet versus my own safety in my hands. What does the life of someone that doesn’t exist mean compared to a whole planet?”

“Doesn’t exist?” Keith muttered.

Suddenly, Lance found himself on the ground. It hurt, but Keith crushing him in his arms hurt more. Lance was definitely more battered than he could feel. Knowing you were seconds away from dying really killed any pain receptors. The warmth of Keith’s hold had that tightness in his throat loosening and he felt tears falling down his face.

“You do exist,” Keith said, the words soft and so close to broken that they cut deep into Lance into a part of him he had been ignoring. “You’re right here in my arms. I can touch you, I can kiss you, and I can beat your ass to a pulp if I wanted for trying to leave me. Even then, you would exist every day in my heart. I love you, so you can’t just disappear. We could have figured out another way to do that, you idiot!”

Lance closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and hugged Keith back.

“I love you, too, you stupid mulleted furry cowboy,” Lance grumbled.

Keith laughed. He pushed at Lance’s hair and placed a kiss to the side of his head. “I’m still mad at you, but I'm happy you're not dead.”

“Yeah, but did you really have to come riding in like some sort of romantic western hero?” Lance asked.

Keith stood, grinning and held out a hand. “Gotta stay fresh for those gay cowboy fantasies you got.”

Lance blushed, but took Keith’s hand and stood. They got back on Red and Lance wiped his face on Keith’s back as he held his boyfriend close. He still felt confused and uncertain, but love was a feeling he knew. It made him feel real.

"How did you get Red anyways?"

"The horses got spooked by the shooting at the house and escaped. Red knows me as well as Kosmo does."

They didn’t encounter any more traitor cows on the way back to the shack, but Lance did notice many large piles of disgusting mixed with robotics on their path. Keith tied up Red a few yards from the shack and then they walked in together. It was strange to enter the pulsing hallways of the underground lab in such a calm unhurried state. Certainly, there was still more they needed to do, but Lance got the sense that things were on their way to being over for now.

“Lance, did you get it?” Pidge asked as soon as they stepped inside the lab.

Lance pulled out the device and handed it to Pidge. “Did the shield activate or something?”

“Yeah, it did,” Pidge explained as she began fiddling with the device and some wires on the dashboard.

“No thanks to your cowboy friend here running off,” Lotor scoffed.

Keith glared at him.

Pidge suddenly clapped her hands together and threw them a huge smile. “Well enough of that, just be glad we can finally shoot off the lasers.”

“We’re still going to shoot them down?” Lance asked.

“If we do not wish for my father to attempt to conquer another planet, we must. He may not be able to take Voltron from the earth, but there are still a few of his soldiers on this planet. We must get rid of their communication with him,” Lotor said and started typing in coordinates. “By now he must know Voltron has been activated so we have to work quickly to cut off his connections. Luckily, we can pinpoint Voltron’s lasers to a genetic target as long as we know about where they should be.”

Matt waved them over to a screen. He was sat at another panel of controls, Kosmo now having taken his place next to a resting Shiro.

“We can watch it all from here. Whoever Keith’s mother’s group was, they were able to hack into every camera earth has and even added a few of their own. It looks like that’s where the lasers will be coming from, too.”

“Keith, come put in your password,” Pidge called.

Keith patted Lance’s back. “Showtime.”

Lance smirked at him. “Show those jerks a good razzle-dazzle.”

Keith leaned down for a quick peck then went back with Pidge. Lance turned back to the screen. He hurt everywhere. He was jealous of Shiro who had some kind of makeshift IV in his arm. But, then another countdown started and Lance was transfixed. The quality of the screen was awful. He could have mistaken it for an old sci-fi movie prop, but there it was, barely visible, but definitely an alien ship. It appeared to have tiny specks floating around so Lance could only assume the ship was huge, much larger than any of the pods they had seen. Then, there was a low moaning that thrummed in Lance’s chest, not exactly a sound, but similar to the feeling he had when Voltron’s shield went up. There wasn’t any light Lance could see, not at first anyway. It wasn’t until the Galra ship was already encompassed by white hot lights of an exploding ship that Lance knew anything had happened at all. And then everything warped and pulled. When the imagine settled, there was nothing but floating fragments left to wander space and time.

“It’s...gone,” Lance said.

“Yeah,” Lotor affirmed and Lance turned to see the man fall into a chair and cover his face with his hands, “they are.”

A powerful force of destruction, a whole planet’s kingdom, gone.

Existence really was such a feeble thing.

☆

The soft press of velvet lips on Lance’s hand woke him. It was hot even in the shadow of the open stables. He was met with Violet sticking her head out of a hole in her stable made from when the horses had got spooked and let themselves out. The broken board had been removed, but there was still a space big enough for her head. Lance reached out to rub her nose. He was happy she and Blue hadn’t gotten hurt. Most of the horses hadn’t, but Lance couldn’t say the same for the cows.

“Lance, if you’re that tired, you don’t have to help us,” Keith said carrying around a bucket of oats. He entered Blue and Violet’s stable and poured them some food.

“No, no, I’m fine. Besides, this was the last week of normal school. I have to do summer school, but that should be pretty lenient. I only had one student failing my class anyways and that’s because he didn’t do his work,” Lance assured and stood.

There hadn’t been any major injuries after falling from the water tower. Well, he had some pretty bad bruising, but Lance had worse as a teenager and just walking around and light lifting didn’t hurt. He probably should have stayed bedridden, but since Shiro had been forced to take the rest of the year off, Lance felt like he had to cover for the coach.

“There’s really not anything more you can do here, Lance.” Keith dropped the bucket outside of Blue’s stable and jumped over to the haystack Lance had curled up in. “There’s only one horse we can’t account for and they’re the brunt of this ranch’s income. We’re not going to find any more cows alive. We’re lucky to have found any of them at all unaffected by the Galra and that Kaltenecker wasn’t injured.”

Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist and pulled him close. “Kaltenecker would never betray you. She’s a good girl.”

“I think so, too, but I’m just grateful Lotor kept the police from being involved.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed with a sigh. “Too bad all my equipment had to get tossed. Saying that the tower fell was a better excuse than any for all the noise.”

“Police won’t pry if they get money waved in their face and there were police here technically with Lotor’s acquaintances. Whatever those two say goes.”

"I guess."

Keith patted Lance’s leg. “Well, come on, get up and you can have dinner with us. If you’re going to force yourself to work even though you look like me during detox than I’m going to make sure you’re properly fed.”

Lance turned and brought Keith in for a quick kiss. “You’re the best boyfriend and I love you.”

Keith smiled a genuinely happy look. He stood and offered Lance a hand that Lance kept hold of as they walked to Shiro’s house.

The white building had definitely seen better days. The hands that had come back in that Sunday morning had really been a help. Keith had told Lance a few of them looked green and glanced around at each other as if accusing them of being the ones who caused so much damage to their employer. But, a few broken windows, a new door, and a couple patches in walls was nothing compared to the cows. It was already looking better and Shiro had said something about renovating this summer anyways.

Matt and Pidge were sprawled across the couch playing video games while a mouth-watering smell wafted from down the hall.

“Is Shiro cooking?” Lance asked.

“Heavens no!” Matt yelled turning to look at them as they entered the house.

A series of decreasing beeps jingled from the television.

“Hah! You looked away, you lost!” Pidge yelled

“He’s just warming up what I picked up from Hunk. He’s been nice enough to make our meals this week,” Keith explained.

“And I haven’t gotten one of these meals, why?”

Keith reached up for his hair and released it from the braid he’d been wearing in this heat. “Because you keep leaving before dinner so you can go home and work. Besides, he thinks it was just the water tower falling. He feels bad.”

Lance frowned. He hadn’t exactly told Hunk about it being his water tower. They had also agreed not to bring Hunk into this. The fewer people who knew about the Galra the better. They had looked at the fallen soldiers and all but two of them turned out to be robots like Lotor said. The two that hadn’t weren’t exactly not robots. Lotor had explained he’d heard of a plan for a robot army since there were so few Galra on the ship. He also explained that there were other Galra that had not followed their ruler like Keith’s mother they were most likely still alive somewhere out there. Safe.

Lance could see it gave Keith hope. With Voltron activated, it was unlikely Keith would see his parents again, but hope they were happy and safe was more than he had before.

They sat together in Shiro’s kitchen soon after eating a plate of Hunk’s family cooking chatting about what work needed to be done still. Lance told stories of the school children and how he’d heard one of the seniors had tripped the elementary school principal and called him out on his homophobia. They hadn’t expelled him since it was graduation tonight. Shiro looked sad about that but said he never went to graduation. He didn’t like goodbyes.

“Shiro,” Pidge said standing up and dug something out of her pocket. She handed an envelope to him.

“What’s this?” Shiro asked.

“You had alien insurance. It’s your insurance money,” Pidge explained.

Shiro pulled out a check, eyes widening. “You...Pidge, you didn’t have to give me this much. You already helped enough with all those inventions and just being here.”

Pidge looked down guiltily. Matt reached out to pat her arm.

“I...I’m closing _Gunderson Insurance_.”

“Why, I thought you liked that job?” Lance asked.

Pidge looked at Keith and then at him and grinned awkwardly. “I did, but it was just for fun. I feel a little bad because that means I’m putting Keith out of a job, but I got accepted to the Russian internship. I’ll be gone until the middle of July. I already sent out the money to everyone else that was buying insurance, so no one’s been scammed, they read the contract and I added more for compensation. Honestly, I just wasn’t ready to graduate so the internship was an excuse to hold off on that while I figured out this Galra stuff, but now that that’s over, I really think I want to take this protecting people from outside invasion seriously. So, I’m going. I leave next week.”

Lance smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re taking your future seriously.”

“I’ve been stuck in the past for too long. It’s time I look to the future.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Lance agreed and glanced at Keith.

Matt stood up to gather dishes and help Shiro clean up.

Lance sat there for a moment longer then stood. “Pidge, can we talk for a second.”

“Um, sure,” Pidge agreed and followed Lance out onto the back porch.

“Hey, if you’re lecturing, I...can I brace myself for it first. I knew you would be mad about postponing my graduation.”

“Nah, Keith already told me about it. If you're not ready to graduate, it's fine. I actually have a favor to ask.”

Pidge leaned against a railing. It wobbled and she moved away. “They really do need to do renovations. Oh, but yeah, ask away then.”

“I...I want to look to the future, too.” He turned to the sky and wondered what the stars looked like in Cuba. He always wondered that every night, he wondered about the life he could have lived. And if he hadn’t been born early, he would have still been here, wouldn’t he? Who would he have been born as? “I want to stop dreaming about the past.”

“Okay, how?”

“I...I think I should call my dad.”

“Your dad? Your real dad?” Pidge asked.

“Yeah.”

Pidge dug into her cargo shorts and pulled out her cell phone and an extra piece that she jammed into a port she’d built into it. “No tracking. Go on.”

Lance smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Pidge, you’re going to be amazing, even more than you are now, you know that, right?”

It took a moment, but Pidge hugged back. “I know that I’ve known for as long as you’ve known how charming you are.”

Lance pulled back and took the phone.”You just admitted I’m charming.”

“You admitted I was amazing. I say we’re even.”

“I’m going to miss you, you know that? Especially now that all my equipment is gone.”

“I’m not gone yet. I’ll make you more when I get back,” Pidge promised. “Now, make that phone call. I’ll keep Keith busy.”

Lance waited until Pidge had gone back inside before staring down at the phone. He took a deep breath and pulled out his own before finding the number he’d stashed far away on an app. He dialed it before he had time to think and held the phone to his ear. It took a moment before the ringing stopped and a staticky _Hola_ came through.

“Dad?” Lance asked.

“Who is this?” the voice on the other line asked.

“Dad, it’s me, Lance.”

“Lancito? You shouldn’t be calling me here.”

“It’s fine, it’s not my phone,” Lance explained. “I just...I need to talk.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Something has always been wrong. Will you listen, Dad?”

“ _Si_.”

Lance took a deep breath and found a railing still strong enough to support him as he leaned against it and looked up at the stars. “Dad, I’ve forgotten what you smell like. I’ve forgotten what your smile looks like. I barely remember Mami’s arms.”

“Oh, Lance, I...,” his father began.

“No, no, I know you did it all for my own good. I know you wanted me to have a better life and it seemed like the best choice at the time. It probably was, no one knew Cuba would get better. I understand, but just because I understand doesn’t mean I’m always happy about it. I feel like an outsider sometimes. I see Veronica doing amazing and wish I could tell everyone how cool my big sister is. I wish I could hold my nephew and niece and not feel like I’m no less than Marco is to them. Then there are the adopted kids. I’m not their brother either. It’s like...it’s like I don’t exist and sometimes it feels like it would be better if I didn’t.”

“Lancito, no. We didn’t take you to America for you to feel that way.” His father’s voice was rough, but there was something soft under it that kept Lance from hanging up in frustration.

Lance held back a sob. “I know! I was supposed to be the key to bring everyone here to America. I know what my place was, but then things changed and everyone was able to make it here just fine and now you have a great job in Cuba. I’m a key whose lock was cracked open without it. So, I'm useless. That’s how I feel and no one has ever asked how I felt!”

“Lance?”

“You never asked, Dad! I haven’t seen you in years! I pretend I’m okay with Mama McClain because she’s done all she could raising me. I try not to upset Mami, but you...why haven’t you called me? Why haven’t you visited me? I know you want to protect me, I know, but your protection hurts me. I feel like I’m a burden and it hurts, it hurts so much.”

“Lance, please, calm down,” his father said from the other end. “Your mother is starting to worry.”

“She should worry,” Lance said. He felt cold. “You know, I almost died the other day.”

“Lance, what?”

“A water tower fell. I was inside. Just some bruising, but I really thought I was going to die.” Lance knew he was shaking. He could feel the phone wiggling against his face as he talked. The intensity of that situation came over him once again. He’d been in a bad headspace. It wasn’t an unfamiliar place, but nothing with quite so much adrenaline had come over him before. He’d always been able to pull himself out before, but that had been the first time he’d succumbed to it so fully. And it was stupid, so stupid.

“That’s a relief,” his father said as if he wasn’t sure what to say.

“I wonder, would you have come to the funeral?”

“Of course.”

Lance sighed. “That’s...that’s good to hear.”

“Lance, I do love you, you know that, right?”

Lance sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. “I know it, but I don’t always feel it. I’m selfish sometimes, Dad. I want to feel it, too.”

“Lance, I...we’ll try to go see you more, okay. I get more vacation time in my new position so I can take your mother and see you, just you.”

That wasn’t what Lance wanted to hear, but he would never hear what he wanted, that’s not what the phone call was for. “That would be nice, but it doesn’t really matter. I love all of you, I really do, but I’ve made my own life here. I have great friends. I’m going to be a godfather to a cute baby here soon. And I’m hopelessly in love with a boy that makes me feel like I exist. I exist here, Dad. So, I...I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy now. The Lance that I am now is me and I’m happy.”

“That’s...all I ever wished for any of you, happiness.”

“I know. Goodbye, Dad.”

“Goodby, son.”

Lance hung up first. He lowered his head and covered his mouth with his free hand. He could feel water running down his face. He felt like he’d just broke up with the girl of his dreams and asked to just be friends, but it was worse, he’d broken up with his family. Not that he wasn’t going to still go see them on holiday and not that he still didn’t want to visit Cuba one day. He’d broken up with the jealousy and resentment and fear that tethered him to his family. He was still scared, he’d always be scared. But, he'd told his family he was unhappy, and now he could say he was happy.

“Lance?”

Keith stood peeking out of the backdoor, brows furrowed. Lance slowly removed his hand from his face and held out his arms to Keith. “I love you so much, Keith.”

Immediately, Keith ran to him and hugged him tightly. “I love you, too, Lance.”

Lance, the name only ever felt real on Keith’s lips.

“I’m so happy with you. Can I be yours forever?”

Keith gasped and held Lance even tighter. “For as long as you'll have me, Lance."


	18. “If a June Night Could Talk, It Would Probably Boast It Invented Romance” - Bernard Williams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the last chapter.

**18\. “If a June Night Could Talk, It Would Probably Boast It Invented Romance” - Bernard Williams**

June was just as wretched as August with the heat. Lance finally invested in some short-sleeved button-ups refusing to go the polo shirt route. He waved to his class as he watched them board buses getting ready to head home, their first week of summer school over with. Surprisingly, summer school wasn’t all that bad. It was stupid, but not bad. The school had standardized lessons and he only taught two classes. Yet, he still had to stay at school the whole time.

Lance turned and headed back in glad not to have car duty that day. He found Allura in the elementary school teacher’s lounge. There wasn’t any coffee, but someone had put water bottles in an ice bucket to make them look fancy for the teachers. Lance grabbed one and a few ice cubes to cool down his neck as he took up a seat across from the vice principal.

Allura looked up from where she was texting and smiled at Lance before going back to her phone. Lance watched her studying the screen, a smile and blush on her face that twisted with uncertainty as he tapped a long nail on the screen.

“Hey there princess, you’re making a pretty unpleasant face right now.”

Allura put her phone down and sighed. “It’s Lotor.”

Lance sat up straight. He’d seen Lotor around but hadn’t actually gotten to talk to the man. He knew Keith was keeping in contact with him and honestly Lance was fine with that. Lotor and his gang of powerful women were the only Galra Keith knew on earth and they had helped each other. Plus they kind of owed Lotor for the help he gave covering up what actually happened on the ranch, not that the end result wasn’t beneficial to both sides.

“Oh, ready to talk about boys with me now?” Lance teased.

“I can’t really talk to anyone else. It’s...well it was actually a year and a half ago Lotor and I formally met, but it’s been a year since we’ve been close. I thought he was interested and I certainly was, but he kept me at a bit of a distance.”

“And now?” Lance asked.

“And now he’s asked me to dinner. But, he didn’t make it sound like a business dinner. He was very clear it was a date.”

“Are you going to go with him then?”

Allura picked up her phone and started tapping at the screen with her nail again. “I don’t know. I always knew he was keeping something from me and he admitted that last week when we got drinks after a board meeting. But, he says he can’t tell me what it is until he can trust me. If he wants to date me, shouldn’t he trust me?”

“That’s not true.” Lance picked up his water and unscrewed the cap then took a sip. “When starting a relationship, you don’t have to trust the person, that’s something you build up to. Lotor probably thinks he might be able to trust you, why else would he admit to even having a secret. Getting to know someone is part of dating. At some point, you know enough about them that anything else you learn about them will either ruin everything or change nothing because you’re already in love. And if you’re like me, you fall in love way too fast and that point in a relationship comes early.”

“Are you in love with Keith?” Allura asked.

Lance twirled the water bottle. “Hopelessly so. It’s a love far greater than any I’ve known before. Its kind of like an expanding love, like the universe itself is in my chest.”

“That sounds both terrifying and wonderful,” Allura said.

“Knowing a secret is both terrifying and wonderful. But, you know Allura, some secrets do make up a large part of who someone is, but that secret is also a part of someone else’s life and if they just tell anyone it’s more than they who will end up hurt if that secret is betrayed. Lotor probably has a secret like that.”

Allura frowned. “I never thought of it like that. I just wanted him to trust me. I want to share the burdens of my lover.”

“Some burdens aren’t yours to share.”

“I still don’t like it, but...well, a few dates won’t hurt. It’s still a few weeks until I go to Europe with Romelle. Anything serious can wait until after,” Allura said and began to type at her phone. “Besides, I can’t be in a relationship if Romelle is feeling sad. Though I do think Pidge should focus on her career.”

Lance stood. “It’s good to be free, too, but I wouldn’t give up Keith for anything.”

“Oh take your happy relationship and sod off, Lance,” Allura said with a laugh.

Lance made his way to the parking long. He was forever thankful for the blue jeep his friends had gifted him last year. Now that it was hot, he had started riding onto the main street with the top down since the air conditioner took a few minutes to kick in and the air rushing past him did enough to get him to _Hunay’s_ without him wanting to die. Lance pulled the top up when he got to the parking lot and smiled seeing the familiar red motorcycle outside. His smile grew the moment he caught sight of a cute black ponytail peeking out from behind the counter. Lance walked in trying to be as quiet as the little flight of the bumblebee doorbell went off.

“Oh, Lance,” Keith greeted as he popped up and the happiness on his face cured all of Lance’s irritation from summer school.

“Hey there, cutie, can I get a cup of you to go?” Lance said and leaned against the counter with a wink.

Keith’s glare was ruined by the blush that crossed his cheeks. “That was disgusting.”

“What’s disgusting is Shay is going to be stuck with you two working shifts together during the summer,” Hunk said coming out of the back with Shay behind him.

“Hey, you’re the one leaving the cafe for that big fancy job at the Garrison. Lotor might have bought this place off you, but he left the hiring to Shay and Shay loves us, don’t you?” Lance said and grinned at a smiling Shay patting her showing baby bump.

“Lance is only going to be working shifts with Keith until school starts back up and it’s easier just to have their schedules overlap since I can trust them instead of getting another assistant manager,” Shay said and patted Hunk’s shoulder. “And since I’m going to be relying on Keith a lot once the baby’s born, I want him to be comfortable.”

“Lance makes me comfortable,” Keith said.

Lance grinned and leaned in for a kiss which he got. “Thanks, Kitten.”

“Look, it’s not that I’m not grateful to both of you,” Hunk said and came to sit at the bar, “but, Keith, you have a job on Shiro’s ranch.”

Keith shrugged. “Not really. Since we’re selling the cows and it will be a while until the business starts picking up, especially with house renovations putting that on hold, I’ve got a lot of free time, more than just what Pidge’s insurance company was taking up. I like to keep busy.”

“Yeah, and a teacher’s wage isn’t the best during the summer,” Lance added. “Don’t think about it too much, we’re happy to help. We’re family now after all.”

Hunk glanced out of the window and across the street. Lance followed his gaze and felt a small sadness seeing the darkened building there. It didn't look much different than when Pidge occupied that space, just without the sign on the door. She called a lot, mostly in the middle of the night, but Lance let Keith deal with those calls and didn’t get mad when he had to drag his boyfriend, now roommate since the renovations started, out of their shared bed to get ready for work.

“I’m surprised Shiro didn’t try to get in on the cafe, too,” Lance mused.

Shay laughed. “Oh, he put in an application.”

“Matt refuses to let him work during the summer while he works on getting him a new arm,” Keith explained. “I’m sure Shiro feels useless, but I have to agree with Matt about keeping him off his feet.”

“I think it’s cute. Hopefully, they’ll get together now that they’re forced to live alone with each other,” Shay said humming as she rearranged some of the sweets in the case.

“I found a used condom behind the nightstand when I visited yesterday,” Keith said. “I think they’re fine.”

Lance laughed. He was cut off by a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had a text from Luis with a picture of his niece and nephew covered in mud. He’d been getting more messages from his family lately, but, when he saw them, they didn’t make him feel as sad. Lance sent a quick message and put his phone back.

“Hey, Shay,” Lance said. “Let me go with you for the next sonogram. I want to hear my godchild’s heartbeat.”

☆

A summer sunset had never felt so humbling, Lance thought as he sat out on his porch in a newly bought porch swing sipping homemade lemonade. He heard the roar of a familiar motorcycle before he saw it pull up in the driveway. From out in the woods, Kosmo came running out barking happily. Lance turned and watched as his boyfriend parked and dismounted. The orange glow of sunset cast across the rows of mesquite trees that surrounded Lance leaving a dreamy look on a disheveled Keith trying to calm down the large dog with happily given pets. Lance appreciated the view of thin but muscled arms and exposed collarbone a summer’s tank top gave him of Keith. And with the increasing heat that came with July, Keith had started going for leggings over just plain black jeans when he went to the cafe.

“How was your shift? I bailed on you just when it got busy,” Lance said and patted the space next to him on the swing.

Keith sat down curling one leg up as he leaned against Lance with a tired sigh, Kosmo panting as he took up space at their feet. “It was empty after that rush. Shay had me close early, but I stuck around to help with the detail cleaning since she can’t be around certain chemicals with the pregnancy.”

Lance laid an arm around the back of the swing and played with the ponytail Keith had pulled his growing hair up into. “Well, you don’t smell like chemicals, just coffee.”

“Do I smell good enough for you to kiss?” Keith asked.

“Of course you do,” Lance laughed and leaned in.

Keith wrinkled his nose as they pulled back. “I smell lemonade. Shiro didn’t drop some of his off, did he? You should just throw that stuff down the sink when he leaves, it's worse than his tea.”

Lance handed him his glass. “No, I made this one. I even added strawberries. I swear it’s delicious.”

Keith took the glass and curled up closer to Lance as he sipped it. “It’s fucking hot, but this is amazing. Is that why you were out here?”

“Nope, waiting for you, Kitten. Kosmo wanted to be here when you got home.”

Keith took another sip from the glass, but Lance could see a smile tugging at the rim.

“Want to wash up together? I did the cooking already, I was just letting it cool off,” Lance offered.

“I don’t want the food to get cold,” Keith said and stood up holding a hand out to Lance. “No funny business.”

A shower with soft touches and languid kisses was followed by a dinner ate curled up on the couch together watching trash television with Kosmo in his newly gifted bed in the corner. Then they were in bed, Lance trying to get through a book Keith had recommended from his English courses back in college, but not really invested while Keith curled up at his hip, purred, and fell asleep. Eventually, Lance gave up and curled up with his boyfriend feeling content.

Living with Keith had become easy after the first month. Not that he didn’t get annoyed here and there, but he enjoyed it to the extent that he didn’t want Keith to go back when the renovations were done. And if Shiro brought Matt back with him, Lance didn’t want Keith to feel like a third wheel.

He loved him so much.

Summer mornings brought an angel. It was too hot for Keith to curl up beneath the sheets like Lance usually found him on their nights together before the attack. Instead, he lay on his stomach facing Lance with inky hair sticking out in ways that only bedhead could make cute, his toned pale shoulders ethereal in the gold light coming through the one window Lance liked to keep uncovered. (Keith fought with him on that on nights when he wasn’t tired enough from work or other activities). Somewhere in Lance’s mind, he knew Keith actually looked ridiculous and he was drooling and probably had morning breath, but it was so easy to buy rose-colored glasses nowadays. Besides, with how full Keith made him feel, Lance was willing to overlook such endearing flaws.

Lance leaned in and kissed Keith’s nose. His boyfriend wrinkled his nose and turned his face into his pillow with a groan.

“Morning breath,” Keith grumbled.

Lance laughed. “That wasn’t an issue last week.”

Keith didn’t respond looking to have fallen back to sleep. Lance scooted closer to him and stroked away some of Keith’s hair from his shoulders covering them with kisses instead.

“Lance,” Keith mumbled into the pillow.

“Hmm, what is it, Kitten? Sun’s up, buns up, remember?”

“Dick’s up.”

Lance chuckled. “Really? Why don’t you turn around and show me?”

“No,” Keith refused.

Lance smiled against his boyfriend's shoulder and slid his hands beneath the sheet. He felt Keith jerk as his fingers made their way along his sides and he could almost hear the quick intake of breath when Keith realized what was about to happen. A second later, Lance had his fingers digging into Keith’s side and his boyfriend started failing, the honey tenor of his laugh just adding more sunshine to Lance’s morning.

Keith kicked and yelled. He threatened Lance with his blade collection, but Lance took it all with a grain of salt. Keith could, but Keith would never.

“Lance, please,” Keith begged and it was just breathy enough that Lance had to stop and let the tone soak into his ears.

Lance had managed to get Keith to flip over and he was straddling his hips in victory. Keith’s morning issue was obvious now pressed between his butt cheeks, but Lance ignored it to look down at his boyfriend. He held Keith’s hands above his head with his own. Keith’s head was slightly turned, face red with laughter. A beautiful smile was still on his face as he took in deep breaths that slowed as he caught his breath. The crescent lift of his eyes turned from happiness to something soft and open, trusting. Lance leaned down.

Morning kisses weren’t exactly pleasant, but love did strange things and Lance’s need to kiss his boyfriend was stronger than disgust. He shifted between Keith’s legs and moved from mapping out his mouth to adding more constellations onto Keith’s body. Recently he’d been obsessed with a spot on Keith’s neck where a freckle had formed over the summer. It was one of only a handful Keith had.

“Lance,” Keith sighed and wrapped his arms around Lance’s shoulders holding him close. “Don’t start something you’re not going to finish.”

Lance hummed in agreement and sat up. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed their lube and a condom before coming back to Keith. Keith spread his legs and kept his hands above his head, a glowing breakfast laid out for Lance to feast. He covered his fingers in lube and began to work Keith open while covering the rest of his body in kisses getting the pay off from every soft moan Keith let laze from his lips.

“Lance,” Keith sighed and combed his fingers through Lance’s hair as he worked lower and took his boyfriend into his mouth.

The grip tightened as Keith’s whole body seized then settled back and Lance pulled off.

“Careful there, Kitten, don’t cum yet,” Lance teased.

Keith answered him with a yawn and rubbed at his eyes before putting his hands back above his head. “Wake me up, Lance.”

“With pleasure.”

Sliding into Keith was sometimes so easy it was like he was made just for Lance’s cock. Other than toys, Lance knew Keith hadn’t had any other and that worried him sometimes, but he had learned Keith wasn’t easy or needy like Lance. And he was simple, so much it was complicated. If he only wanted one cock, then that was the only dicking he was ever going to get and Lance was content with being the only one that ever made love to him.

Keith was honest and Keith loved him. He didn't say it often, but that just made Lance think he meant it even more.

Lance’s pace grew fast. He held one had on Keith’s thigh digging his nails into it and feeling their toned thickness. The other hand he stroked down Keith’s body then caressed his face were Keith could catch his fingers with kisses. Sometimes he trailed the Leo tattoo over Keith’s heart and flicked his nipples as he closed his eyes and lost himself to pleasure. And then he planted his hand on Keith’s belly and felt their connection where Lance was fucking into him, filling his boyfriend. He hoped his dick filled his boyfriend as much as Keith filled his soul. He hadn’t told Keith such cheesy words yet, just his constant I love yous that were more often just responded with a soft glare and the hint of a smile, but one day he would, maybe in a speech while he wore a suit with enough people around to embarrass Keith. And he would get the same reaction, but with one of those rare 'I love you's back.

Lance came. With a few rough thrusts that brought Keith over the edge, he spilled into the condom and pulled out. He handed Keith a napkin and tossed his mess away before turning back to look at his deliciously fucked bed partner. Keith looked like even more of a morning mess. Lance reached out and pushed some of Keith’s hair out of his face.

“It’s growing pretty long,” he said.

Keith hummed and rubbed a hand up and down his chest as if to rub the afterglow into his skin. “I’m going to let it keep growing, see how long it gets before I end up chopping it off.”

Lance twirled a lock of Keith’s sweaty hair around his finger. Keith’s hair, Lance actually really loved it. Not just sexually, but he liked to play with hair. He was saddened with he found out Pidge use to have long thick hair, he would have loved to do it up for her. But, he also loved Keith’s fur and the last detox he’d spent with Keith, his boyfriend had let him brush it. Alien Keith was just as beautiful post sex as this Keith right now, they were the same all the same Keith.

He loved Keith.

Selfishly, Lance thought he could spend the rest of his life just like this.

“Hey, Lance?”

Lance. He wasn’t really Lance. He had no real name, but then again, Keith’s true identity lay far off in the expanse of the universe far beyond the seeable stars. And Lance loved this being lying here beside him more than he loved anything else.

“Hmm?”

Touching Keith’s skin, loving him, hearing him call out Lance’s name made it feel real, made this life feel like his after trying so hard not to feel like he had stolen someone else’s.

“I haven’t asked, but what do you want for your birthday?”

Lance wanted this, forever. With how they both were, it wouldn’t be real, legal, or binding, but it would be something and all that mattered was that the universe knew they loved each other. So what if he wasn’t really Lance McClain as long as he was Keith’s.

“Keith, marry me.”

“Okay.”

The quick answer brought Lance out of his daze and he turned to Keith. “Yeah?”

Keith turned his head to Lance, love in his eyes, still looking like a lazy mess and smiled. “Yeah, for your birthday, let’s get married.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for putting up with this story for so long, lol. I'm happy you could enjoy it. 
> 
> I don't know when I'll do another long one, but I still have the fairytales going. Usually, I write the whole story first and then schedule accordingly, but if you don't mind the long waits between chapters I could have a new chapter fic started in July? I know that's how most fanfiction writers write ^.^; . So, tell me if you wouldn't mind longer waits between chapters, if so, I have a couple ideas. Either something shorter kind of slice of life or I have a few chapters and a whole outline for another 200K plus fantasy fic XD Tell me what you'd like to read and I'll see what I can deliver.


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